On the 8th of May 2025 the Holy Roman Catholic Church got a new leader, the 267th successor of Peter in a conclave that lasted for two days. His election came after the fourth ballot by 133 cardinals (two having exempted themselves due to health reasons). With the white smoke indicating an election of a new pope, the whole world halted. While those in Rome and its environs rushed to St Peter’s Square for the presentation of the new Pope who would lead the over 1.4 billion Catholics and impact on the lives of all, Christians or not, others far away were glued to their television sets and others to radio or any other form of social media that could connect them to Rome, which had became the centre of attraction for the whole world since the death of Pope Francis on April 21, Easter Monday after making that final appearance the previous day to give his Urbi et Orbi (to the city of Rome and to the world) blessing.
Then came the swinging of the curtains at the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica indicating the readiness of the Pope to be unveiled to the whole world and for him to give his first Urbi et Orbi blessing! There was great silence. Some were excited, some were anxious and some a mixture of the two, yet many were deep in prayer for the new pope and for the Church.
Habemus Papam! (We have a Pope)! Those were the words of the Protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, Dominique Cardinal François Joseph Mamberti! With that announcement, there was the wait to know who the Holy Spirit has chosen to lead the Church. “He is Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost and will be known as Pope Leo XIV. There was jubilation, and surprise too. Many, like me reached for their phone to check who he is and what he stand for. Why the name Leo XIV? What did Leo XIII stand for and why does he want to continue the legacy of a pope who died over a century ago? These were some of the questions running through the mind of many.
What is in a name!
A name a pope chooses always says something of the route he wishes to follow. The first time a Pope changed his name was in the 6th Century, in the year 533. Elected the 56th Roman Pontiff, Mercurius, a name derived from Mercury, a Roman god, decided to change his name to Pope John II. And since then it became a common practice for a pope to change his name to a name of a saint or a past pope whose legacy he desired to emulate.
Our new pope chose the name Leo XIV. I wonder, just like many, what formed the choice of the name. May be a look at the life of Pope Leo XIII may give us a cue into the desired programme of the new pope. Leo XIII was born 1810 and died 1903. He was the 256th Pope and his papacy was the third longest, lasting for 25 years, 5 months, from 1878 to 1903. He is regarded as the Father of the Church’s Social Doctrine. At the wake of the Industrial Revolution, he issued the first formal social teaching of the church in his encyclical Rerum Novarum, in which he supported the rights of workers to fair wage, good working conditions, formation of trade unions among other things. He also encouraged scientific study of the Bible and worked for a good relationship between the Vatican and the state. He was also a devotee and promoter of Marian devotion.
These indicate some of the traits to be expected in Pope Leo XIV. In his first appearance he greeted the people with “peace” which is the first greeting of the risen Lord. By this he is indicating the importance and role of peace in his papacy. He will be a man of peace and work for global peace. Peace is a product of justice; to have peace one needs to work for justice. The two are different sides of the same coin. This also formed part of his speech, urging other cardinals to unite with him in the work for justice. In a world ladened with conflict and political instability, where might seems to be right both on a global and local front, where justice and peace seem to be eroding, we need a pope who will be intentional and programmatic like the Pope whose name he has taken, Leo XIII in restoring peace and order in the world.
The new Pope recognized his humanity and limitations in that famous quotation of St Augustine: “with you I am a Christian and for you I am a bishop.” Popes are representatives of Christ on earth, but we tend to forget they are human also, with the frailties of the human nature. St Teresa of Avila wrote that God saved us through the sacred humanity of Christ, who took our human flesh and vulnerabilities, and suffered want and humiliation as we do. In the same way, Christ leads the church through the human heads in their limitations and weaknesses. That notwithstanding, the promise the risen Lord made to the disciples subsists in the Church – “Lo! I am with you always till the end of time” and the great responsibility given to Peter, “upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld cannot overpower it” (Matt16:18). The pope needs the unity of the entire Church and of the world. The Church recognises this and prays for the pope in all the masses celebrated throughout the world.
The final chord struck by the Leo XIV in his link to the pope he is modelling after is his devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary. Leo XIII was an ardent lover of the Mother of God. Leo XIV is already toeing that lane, being the only pope in recent time (and maybe, the only pope ever) who has prayed the Ave Maria with the public on the day he was elected and unveiled. That shows his love for Mary, the Mother of God and the mother of the Church.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost
The new Pope was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, US. He is an Augustinian, ordained a priest on June 19, 1982.
Previous Posts:
2001 – 2013: Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine (Augustinians)
2014 – 2015: Titular Bishop of Sufar (consecrated on December 12, 2014)
2014 – 2015: Apostolic Administrator of Chiclayo, Peru.
2015 – 2023: Bishop of Chiclayo.
2023 – 2025: Cardinal Deacon of Santa Monica (created on Sept. 30).
2023 – 2025: Prefect of the Dicastry for Bishops.
2023 – 2025: President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America
2025: Cardinal Bishop of Albano.
2025 (May 8): Elected as the 267th Pope.
As a canonist Cardinal Prevost had always maintained a conservative stance on issues around ordination of women, same sex marriage, while advocating for the dignity of the marginalised communities, immigrants’ rights and environmental sustainability. Many are still wondering what this Pope will turn out to be. That is early though. What we know is that the Holy Spirit always appoints leaders in the Church to respond to the need of the Church and the world. In most recent times Pope St John Paul II came from a communist Poland and was instrumental to the ned of communism. Benedict XVI came from the German and helped to steady the rocky church in Germany. Francis, seen and loved by many as the “liberal” Pope (yet without really changing any of the traditions of the Church) won the heart of many who wanted the doctrines of the Church talked about and taught with different language and nuances. Will the first Pope from America, Pope Leo XIV help to end the controversies in the American world affecting humanity and religion?
Written by Fr Luke Dominic Onwe, OCD
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