Who is Pope Leo XIV?
He sent Prevost to take over a complicated diocese in Peru, then brought him to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church.
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And in January, Francis elevated Prevost into the senior ranks of cardinals, giving him prominence going into the conclave that few other cardinals had.
Since arriving in Rome, Prevost has kept a low public profile but was well-known to the men who count.
Significantly, he presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms Francis made, when he added three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pope.
Vatican watchers said Prevost's decision to name himself Leo was particularly significant given the previous Leo's legacy of social justice and reform, suggesting continuity with some of Francis' chief concerns.
During his 12-year papacy, Francis sought to remake the US hierarchy, and with Prevost's help starting in 2023, named more pastorally minded bishops to replace culture warriors favoured by Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II.
The new pope was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, which was formed in the 13th century as a community of 'mendicant' friars — dedicated to poverty, service and evangelisation. There have been six previous Augustinian popes.
Francis moved Prevost from the Augustinian leadership back to Peru in 2014 to serve as the administrator and later archbishop of Chiclayo.
He remained in that position, acquiring Peruvian citizenship in 2015, until Francis brought him to Rome in 2023 to assume both the bishops' dossier and the presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
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In that job he would have kept in regular contact with the Catholic hierarchy in the part of the world that counts the most Catholics and counting North, Central and South America had 37 cardinal electors going into the conclave.
Leo was expected to celebrate Mass with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on Friday, planned to deliver his first Sunday noon blessing from the loggia of St. Peter's and lined up an audience with the media Monday in the Vatican auditorium, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
Beyond that, he has a possible first foreign trip at the end of May: Francis had been invited to travel to Turkey to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a landmark event in Christian history and an important moment in Catholic-Orthodox relations.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, welcomed Leo's election and said he hoped he would join the anniversary celebration.
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The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Leo, the first US Pope, criticises nationalist politics
Pope Leo has criticised the emergence of nationalist political movements, calling them unfortunate, without naming a specific country or national leader. Leo, the first Pope from the US, asked during a mass with a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter's Square that God would "open borders, break down walls (and) dispel hatred". "There is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms," said the pontiff. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member church. Before becoming pontiff, Prevost was not shy about criticising US President Donald Trump, sharing numerous disapproving posts about Trump and Vice President JD Vance on X in recent years. The Vatican has not confirmed the new Pope's ownership of the X account, which had the handle @drprevost, and was deactivated after Leo's election. Francis, Pope for 12 years, was a sharp critic of Trump. The late Pope said in January that the president's plan to deport millions of migrants in the US during his second term was a "disgrace". Earlier, Francis said Trump was "not Christian" because of his views on immigration. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said when asked about Trump in 2016. Leo was celebrating a mass for Pentecost, one of the church's most important holidays. Pope Leo has criticised the emergence of nationalist political movements, calling them unfortunate, without naming a specific country or national leader. Leo, the first Pope from the US, asked during a mass with a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter's Square that God would "open borders, break down walls (and) dispel hatred". "There is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms," said the pontiff. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member church. Before becoming pontiff, Prevost was not shy about criticising US President Donald Trump, sharing numerous disapproving posts about Trump and Vice President JD Vance on X in recent years. The Vatican has not confirmed the new Pope's ownership of the X account, which had the handle @drprevost, and was deactivated after Leo's election. Francis, Pope for 12 years, was a sharp critic of Trump. The late Pope said in January that the president's plan to deport millions of migrants in the US during his second term was a "disgrace". Earlier, Francis said Trump was "not Christian" because of his views on immigration. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said when asked about Trump in 2016. Leo was celebrating a mass for Pentecost, one of the church's most important holidays. Pope Leo has criticised the emergence of nationalist political movements, calling them unfortunate, without naming a specific country or national leader. Leo, the first Pope from the US, asked during a mass with a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter's Square that God would "open borders, break down walls (and) dispel hatred". "There is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms," said the pontiff. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member church. Before becoming pontiff, Prevost was not shy about criticising US President Donald Trump, sharing numerous disapproving posts about Trump and Vice President JD Vance on X in recent years. The Vatican has not confirmed the new Pope's ownership of the X account, which had the handle @drprevost, and was deactivated after Leo's election. Francis, Pope for 12 years, was a sharp critic of Trump. The late Pope said in January that the president's plan to deport millions of migrants in the US during his second term was a "disgrace". Earlier, Francis said Trump was "not Christian" because of his views on immigration. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said when asked about Trump in 2016. Leo was celebrating a mass for Pentecost, one of the church's most important holidays. Pope Leo has criticised the emergence of nationalist political movements, calling them unfortunate, without naming a specific country or national leader. Leo, the first Pope from the US, asked during a mass with a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter's Square that God would "open borders, break down walls (and) dispel hatred". "There is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms," said the pontiff. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member church. Before becoming pontiff, Prevost was not shy about criticising US President Donald Trump, sharing numerous disapproving posts about Trump and Vice President JD Vance on X in recent years. The Vatican has not confirmed the new Pope's ownership of the X account, which had the handle @drprevost, and was deactivated after Leo's election. Francis, Pope for 12 years, was a sharp critic of Trump. The late Pope said in January that the president's plan to deport millions of migrants in the US during his second term was a "disgrace". Earlier, Francis said Trump was "not Christian" because of his views on immigration. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said when asked about Trump in 2016. Leo was celebrating a mass for Pentecost, one of the church's most important holidays.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
Albanese need not shy away from his Catholic roots
Australian historian Manning Clark described the Australian attitude to spirituality as 'a shy hope in the heart'. We are uncomfortable with overt displays of religiosity or, indeed, strident atheism. For most Australians, to be asked by a stranger (as happens in the US) if they know Jesus as saviour would be cringe-making. This is the cultural context in which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who visited the newly installed Pope Leo XIV last month, claimed a strong Catholic heritage, then almost immediately repudiated that by telling journalists his faith played no role in his politics. It seems that Albo's faith is not so much shy as painfully introverted. It scarcely figures in his discourse compared with, say, his struggles growing up with a single mother in a council house. This is not to doubt his personal faith, but to suggest that he is constrained in the public arena. His papal visit and later counter-balancing remarks were carefully calibrated to please – or, at least, appease – both sides of the divide. Catholics are a quarter of the population, and agnostics probably more than half. Many people believe that for a politician to express faith is to betray the separation of church and state. Former PM Tony Abbott particularly suffered this because of his strong public Catholic identity, with one commentator calling him 'Pell's puppet' (a reference to the late Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney at the time). Loading This is a terrible misunderstanding. Politicians who are believers cannot help but bring their faith to their work because it shapes their values and convictions. They should and they must. This doesn't mean seeking to advance the cause of religion, but that denying their core convictions would be hypocritical and inauthentic. Further, importantly, this is true not only of Christian politicians. Atheists, agnostics and people of other faiths are equally shaped by their values and convictions, and they owe it to their conscience and constituents to honour these. Those who don't risk becoming venal or corrupt. Philosopher Willard Quine provided a helpful analogy with his web of belief, in which the outer strands are contingent but the innermost and strongest are foundational, first principles that may never even be examined. This applies to all of us.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Albanese need not shy away from his Catholic roots
Australian historian Manning Clark described the Australian attitude to spirituality as 'a shy hope in the heart'. We are uncomfortable with overt displays of religiosity or, indeed, strident atheism. For most Australians, to be asked by a stranger (as happens in the US) if they know Jesus as saviour would be cringe-making. This is the cultural context in which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who visited the newly installed Pope Leo XIV last month, claimed a strong Catholic heritage, then almost immediately repudiated that by telling journalists his faith played no role in his politics. It seems that Albo's faith is not so much shy as painfully introverted. It scarcely figures in his discourse compared with, say, his struggles growing up with a single mother in a council house. This is not to doubt his personal faith, but to suggest that he is constrained in the public arena. His papal visit and later counter-balancing remarks were carefully calibrated to please – or, at least, appease – both sides of the divide. Catholics are a quarter of the population, and agnostics probably more than half. Many people believe that for a politician to express faith is to betray the separation of church and state. Former PM Tony Abbott particularly suffered this because of his strong public Catholic identity, with one commentator calling him 'Pell's puppet' (a reference to the late Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney at the time). Loading This is a terrible misunderstanding. Politicians who are believers cannot help but bring their faith to their work because it shapes their values and convictions. They should and they must. This doesn't mean seeking to advance the cause of religion, but that denying their core convictions would be hypocritical and inauthentic. Further, importantly, this is true not only of Christian politicians. Atheists, agnostics and people of other faiths are equally shaped by their values and convictions, and they owe it to their conscience and constituents to honour these. Those who don't risk becoming venal or corrupt. Philosopher Willard Quine provided a helpful analogy with his web of belief, in which the outer strands are contingent but the innermost and strongest are foundational, first principles that may never even be examined. This applies to all of us.
