Pope Leo's in-tray: pontiff has many urgent issues to address
The Roman Catholic church has a new leader, the Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. Once the prayers are over and the crowds have dispersed from St Peter's Square, what issues must the new pope grapple with?
A key task will be to strengthen unity within the church amid growing polarisation in the world and different views and expectations in the church. Some observers believe there is a real risk of schism after 20 years in which there have been popes on either end of the spectrum: the traditional/conservative Benedict XVI and the liberal/progressive Francis.
Prevost is seen as a moderate. But will he be a unifying figure, reaching out to both traditionalists and progressives, and steering the church through the choppy waters of the 21st century? Or will he be identified with one wing of the church, thereby alienating another wing?
A key area of unity and healing will be the American Catholic church, where Pope Francis was a divisive figure. Some US bishops are avid supporters of Donald Trump, while others are dismayed by the president's policies and statements. An early visit to the US may be high on the new pope's agenda.
The pope has an important role to play on the international stage, particularly to ensure that religion does not become a faultline. He will face conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan plus the politically divisive issues of migration, the climate crisis, religious freedom and human rights.
Christine Allen, the chief executive of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (Cafod), has said the incoming pope will be 'one of only a few people in the world who can cross political divides and use his moral influence to help all of us look beyond our narrow self-interests and work together to overcome our collective challenges'.
In common with other world leaders, Prevost will have to navigate Trump's second term in the White House. Pope Francis openly rebuked the first and second Trump administrations on issues such as migration.
The legacy of sexual abuse cast a long shadow over Francis's papacy. He was slow to grasp the scale and systemic nature of the problem, and at first did not understand the pain and anger of survivors. That pain has not gone away, and the new pope's approach will inevitably come under intense scrutiny.
Protecting children and vulnerable adults, especially in places where the implementation of safeguarding procedures is challenging, is a key issue in the papal in-tray.
Pope Leo XIV will need to take decisions on governance within the church, including the pace of change and levels of inclusion regarding laity and women. He will need to make key appointments within days to get the new papacy up and running.
There has been a trend towards appointing qualified, professional laypeople to Vatican jobs rather than clerics. Under Francis, some key roles went to women for the first time, but some say the process of change could be quicker and more far-reaching.
Sister Nathalie Becquart, who served as undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops for four years, said there was 'no way to go back' but 'a change of mindset and a change of culture' was still in progress. 'The next step is to encourage the involvement of women at all levels of the church,' she told BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme.
There are two aspects to this for the new pope's attention: general oversight and transparency, on which there was significant progress under Pope Francis but still more to do; and the unsustainable levels of deficit in the Vatican finances, which deteriorated during Francis's papacy.
In 2022, the Vatican budget accounts were about $94m (£70m) in the red, and the Vatican pension fund reportedly had a shortfall of more than $700m.
One senior cardinal, Angelo Becciu, withdrew from the conclave because of convictions in 2022 of financial crimes (he is appealing). Francis had forced Becciu to quit his post after allegations of financial mismanagement came to light, but Becciu only withdrew from the conclave after being presented with letters written by Francis before he died saying Becciu should not take part in the process to elect the next pope.
Francis shifted the church's dial on issues relating to sexuality and identity, condemning discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, meeting trans men and women and authorising the blessings of same-sex couples.
LGBTQ+ Catholics welcomed his compassion and affirmation while acknowledging he did not change church teaching. Francis's standpoint prompted a backlash among traditionalists.
He will also need to consider the issue of celibacy for priests. Francis ultimately ducked the issue of whether to allow married priests in parts of the world, such as the Amazon, where there is a dire shortage. Will the new pope push it through?
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Continued failure to consult on uranium exploration a harmful mistake: Mi'kmaw Chiefs
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Yahoo
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Continued failure to consult on uranium exploration a harmful mistake: Mi'kmaw Chiefs
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia's continued failure to consult with First Nations on uranium exploration is a mistake that will further erode the province's relationship with Mi'kmaq communities, says the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs and a lawyer from Sipekne'katik First Nation. Pictou Landing First Nation Chief Tamara Young said the Mi'kmaq people were neither consulted nor notified when Nova Scotia introduced then passed a bill that opens the province up to potential uranium mining and fracking. 'The lack of consultation is unacceptable and goes against the UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples),' Young said in a statement to The Canadian Press on Wednesday. The assembly has said they will continue to oppose both uranium exploration and hydraulic fracturing until their environmental concerns have been addressed. The provincial government added uranium to its list of priority critical minerals May 14, and it issued a request for exploration proposals for three sites with known deposits of the heavy metal. Interested companies had until Wednesday to submit their proposals. Premier Tim Houston has said the legislative changes are needed to help the province withstand economic challenges from American tariffs. 'We recognize there are international pressures and influences affecting our economy, but any resource development in Mi'kma'ki must include our consent and participation as we are the rightful owners of these lands, waters and resources,' Young said in the statement, speaking as co-lead of the environment, energy and mines portfolio on behalf of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs. 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The company said at the time the project experienced challenges and delays, referring to opposition the project faced from Indigenous protesters and allies who opposed the company's plan to remove large, underground salt deposits by flushing them out with water from the nearby Shubenacadie River. The plan also called for dumping the leftover brine into the tidal river, where it would flow into the Bay of Fundy. In March 2020, a decision by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ordered the province to resume consultations with Sipekne'katik First Nation on the matter and determined the former environment minister was wrong when she concluded the province had adequately consulted with the First nation about the project. 'The province should have walked away from that decision and said: 'OK, lesson learned.' The project never went forward. All the gas investors looked at it and said: 'This is just a mess now. Let's just walk away,'' Francis said. The lawyer said it will be telling in the coming weeks if the province chooses to engage with Mi'kmaq communities or "if the province will march along in the same way it did before." "Either we'll have a success story or we'll have another Alton Gas play out," she said. Shiri Pasternak, a criminology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and co-investigator of a research project called Infrastructure Beyond Extractivism, said the situation in Nova Scotia mirrors the expedited extraction movement that's happening across the country. "What's happening to the Mi'kmaq in Nova Scotia is really proliferating as an attack on Indigenous and environmental rights across the country right now," she said in an interview Tuesday. Pasternak said Nova Scotia is one of several provinces working to speed up extraction and development projects — moves that are supported by the federal government. 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Opinion: First Lady Melania and Pope Leo are right — it's 'unum' time
In a season of tragedy and division, two powerful voices — one from the Vatican, one from the White House — reached for the same ancient word: Unum. Last month, after the horrific shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., First Lady Melania Trump offered her condolences by quoting our national motto: E Pluribus Unum — 'Out of many, one.' Days earlier, Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, delivered his inaugural message with a similar phrase etched into his papal crest: In Illo Uno Unum — 'In the One, One.' And with the horrifying attack on Jewish families in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this month, the same call to unity remains. These aren't just old, dusty Latin words. They were calls to unity in a time when America — and the world — feels dangerously divided. We are living through a season of immense high conflict, spilling over into hate-fueled violence. But from Rome to D.C., this month reminded us that Unum — unity — is not just a relic. It's a lifeline. Let's be honest: unity sounds soft. It can feel like wishful thinking. But today, invoking unity is a bold act. It takes guts to say, 'We still belong to each other,' especially when everything around us screams otherwise. I see signs of that courage every day. In an exhausted middle of Americans who are tired of the yelling, the blaming and the endless outrage. They're not perfect — but they're trying. Trying to build bridges instead of burning them. Trying to find common ground without giving up their convictions. That's the heart of Unum. It doesn't erase conflict or pretend we all agree. It's not utopia. It's the hard, daily work of choosing coexistence over chaos. Unum means Jewish and Muslim Americans grieving side-by-side. It means a First Lady who grew up Catholic in Slovenia invoking a motto that speaks across American synagogues, mosques and churches alike. It means a Pope who spent years in Latin America calling for peace — not as an abstract dream, but as an urgent task. And in Washington last week, that task was made painfully real. The shooting near the Israeli Embassy wasn't just another violent act. It was a national alarm. A young couple was killed. Jewish Americans and foreign diplomats had gathered at a museum dedicated to the hard work of remembering history and resisting hate. They came in peace. They fled in terror. If that doesn't shake us, what will? I mourn every loss — from D.C. to Gaza. As a former diplomat and humanitarian worker, I've seen the cost of war up close. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is heartbreaking: tens of thousands dead, aid blocked, civilians suffering. Hostages still not home. Israelis and Palestinians alike living in fear and grief. But pain doesn't have to harden us. It can humble us. It can move us to action — not vengeance. In moments like these, we face two temptations. One is despair: to give up, to believe the divisions are too deep. The other is rage: to blame, punish and retreat into our tribes. Neither will save us. The harder path — the braver one — is to build bridges anyway. Pope Leo XIV said it plainly: 'Be bridgebuilders, peace seekers, and companions on the journey.' That's not just a prayer. It's a plan. Because in a world driven by algorithms that divide and outrage that sells, choosing Unum is radical. It means staying at the table when you'd rather storm out. It means believing that pluralism — people of different faiths, races, beliefs and stories — can still build a shared life. You could say that in an interfaith nation like America, that is our common wealth — a society where deep differences don't divide us, they deepen us. The First Lady's words last month were not just a prayer — they were a call to action. Quoting our centuries-old motto E Pluribus Unum — 'Out of many, one' — was a reminder that belonging isn't partisan. It's American. It always has been. So let's hold on to that fragile hope. Let's say Unum again — and mean it.
