Habemus Papam! As bells rang out in the Vatican this evening, the world met the first American Pope, Robert Prevost. A little-known outsider for the role, his election further confirmed the futility of ‘Papabile’ speculation in recent weeks. What we know about Leo XIV, however, is that he is a veritable moderate. On the one hand, he is a former classmate of the late Pope Francis and was critical of Vice President Vance’s comments on Ordo Amoris in January. On the other, he is allegedly a registered Republican in the US and restored the traditional papal vestments last worn by Pope Benedict XVI. The global intrigue into the papacy is a reminder of the Catholic Church’s soft power influence around the world. With this in mind, we can expect Pope Leo to promote Catholic teaching on the global stage throughout his pontificate.
Pope Leo XIV
Labeled a centrist by all available sources, Pope Leo has already given some clues about his papacy since he became the most famous person on Earth a couple of hours ago. An Augustinian friar, he follows the teachings of the early Church Father, St. Augustine. This typically aligns with a more conservative approach to the Church (excluding, of course, the notable Fr. Martin Luther!). His regnal name, Leo, is a hat tip to Leo XIII, author of Rerum Novarum, the Church’s first modern source on Catholic Social Teaching. Further, his work with the poor in Peru suggests a continuation of sorts to Francis’ mission. A new Augustinian Peruvian-American Pope Leo, whose apostolic motto is ‘In illo uno unum’ (‘as one, united’) strikes a solid ‘unifier’ image.
Leo XIV is the first native English-speaking Pope in nearly 900 years. His proficiency in the global lingua franca and his background in canon law will serve the Church well after 12 years of misreporting and poor translations. The new pope will be able to engage fully in global affairs without being beholden to them.
Global conflicts
The 2020s so far have been a difficult time for the world. As well as the covid pandemic and the polarized politics, there are hot conflicts ongoing in Sudan, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Time will tell if the India-Pakistan conflict will turn into a war too. Traditionally the arbiter of peace, the Catholic Church has broadly taken a partisan stance on some of the ongoing conflicts. A centrist, social teaching-focused new Pope Leo will restore a focus on peace to the global discourse. Indeed, his inaugural speech from the balcony at St. Peter’s this evening focused heavily on the themes of peace and unity throughout the world.
Leo and Trump
As Donald Trump races through his plan to restore the US as the global hegemon, it is somewhat fitting that the biggest soft power machine in the world chose an American as its leader. Leo XIV is evidently keen on Catholic Social Teaching. He will likely spend his papacy further developing the Church’s teaching on hot button issues like immigration, gender theory, and LGBT issues, given their growing influence over global politics.
Ordo Amoris
In February, then-Cardinal Prevost tweeted an opinion piece disagreeing with JD Vance’s ‘Ordo Amoris’ comments, titled “JD Vance is wrong”. Yet the article – much like Pope Francis’ Letter to the US Bishops a week later – did not, in fact, entirely disagree with Vance’s comments. The Catholic Church has a more nuanced view of ordo amoris than Vance briefly described. Both documents merely emphasized the Good Samaritan aspect that Vance didn’t mention. Indeed, in Pope Francis’ letter, he mirrors Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum. That document notably makes the point that the government should facilitate charity, not mandate it. Anyone expecting major conflict between the Vatican and Washington will be sorely disappointed.
Gender Ideology
Pope Leo XIV condemned teaching gender theory in schools in Peru, warning that the “promotion of gender ideology is confusing, because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist”. Similar to Trump’s war on DEI and gender theory more broadly, this suggests that policy commentary from the papacy in the coming years will feature nuance. That the Catholic Church does not reflect typical left-right political divisions is a truth that has often been missed as civil discourse has become more polarized.
American Hegemony
The Trump aspect of the new pontificate is relevant. With broad support among American Catholics, Trump is also heavily influenced by Catholics. These include his wife and multiple prominent members of his Cabinet. Trump’s incoming Ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, grew up less than an hour from Leo XIV. Indeed, the two most powerful men in the world are American. Their relationship will be mediated by a man who can easily relate well to both.
As the sun sets on Leo XIV’s first day in office, the world is about to change dramatically. The Catholic Church has just elected a ‘moderate’ pope. A pope who will prioritize Catholic Social Teaching over politics. A pope whose public political priors will not cloud his comments. This pope can focus on the task of leading the Church – and the world – towards peace and unity. So far, it looks like Pope Leo XIV is just the man for the job.
