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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The History Behind Pope Leo XIV's Name
Pope Leo XIV addresses the crowd from the main balcony of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore after a prayer service in Rome, Italy, May 25th, 2025 Credit - Rocco Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio—Getty Images Since the College of Cardinals selected Robert Prevost to become Pope Leo XIV on May 8, the first American Pope has generated much attention, with numerous publications attempting to peel back the curtain on the true identity of the new pontiff. Yet, the Pope himself may have told the world something significant about his vision and philosophy for the papacy through the simple act of choosing a name. The choice of Leo XIV makes Prevost the first pope to take this name since Leo XIII, who led the Church from 1878 to 1903, a critical time at the turn of the 20th century when the world was heading into an industrial and increasingly globalizing era that would soon lead to the First World War. Based on the tenure of Leo XIII, this choice may indicate that Prevost places substantial emphasis on the Church's responsibility to care for the poor, as well as the protection of workers' rights in an era of growing economic inequality. Yet, it also may signal that the new pope aims to chart a middle course in an era of extremes and won't look kindly on those challenging doctrine or the Church's hierarchy. If so, such a vision will be deeply rooted in a specific tradition of American Catholicism that emerged thanks to Leo XIII's teachings. Pope Leo XIII, born Gioacchino Pecci, ascended to the papacy in an era characterized by the spread of factories and wage labor, the rise of massive fortunes and the growth of worker discontent and organizing, and existential battles between the forces of capitalism and socialism. He responded by launching a transformative intellectual tradition known as Catholic social teaching. Pope Leo's Style of American Leadership Is a Hopeful Opportunity This body of thought, which had its most notable appearance in his 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum, introduced the world to a new approach to the social, economic, and political challenges of the day. Rerum upheld labor unions as a proper exercise of workers' natural rights to dignity and authentic freedom—and emphasized the obligation of the state to protect their rights and interests. Leo XIII also called for a 'remedy…for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class.' He underscored the Catholic Church's care for the poor and its concern for the common good as well. Yet, Catholic social teaching wasn't a one-sided doctrine. In Rerum, Pope Leo XIII reflected on 'the spirit of revolutionary change' that had 'long been disturbing the nations of the world.' Instead of a revolution, this new approach contemplated a middle way between capitalism and socialism, one premised on a cooperative relationship between workers and management. Another key document written by Leo XIII further emphasized that the Pope was not quite a radical. In 1899, he wrote a papal letter, Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae, which was directed at American Catholics and condemned what he termed the heresy of 'Americanism.' The decision to write the letter may have stemmed from confusion and misperceptions about what liberal prelates and theologians in the U.S, were preaching. Liberal priests, most prominently Isaac Hecker, extolled the virtues of freedom and liberty as it related to the Church in the U.S. In his 1876 book, The Faith of Our Fathers, for example, Baltimore's James Cardinal Gibbons wrote of his country, '[T]here is no nation on the face of the earth where the Church is less trammeled, and where she has more liberty to carry out her sublime destiny, than in these Untied States.' Twelve years later, St. Paul's Archbishop John Ireland, proclaimed, 'In America, the Church is free—as the bird is free in the air to spread out its pinions and fly whithersoever it wills.' Conservative critics, both in the U.S., and in the Vatican, viewed these liberal prelates with suspicion because of their openness to engage in inter-religious encounters. Testum indicates that Leo XIII wanted to make clear that the Catholic Church in the U.S. wasn't spiritually distinct from the global church, and couldn't go its own way. It showed that, while sympathetic to workers and inequality, he wasn't prepared to see Church doctrine or the power of the Vatican challenged. Leo XIII's legacy, then, was one characterized by deep concern for the plight of workers and the poor, but also one that reflected concern over maintaining hierarchical discipline within the Church. He also wanted to moderate any spiritual experimentation, however illusory in the case of Americanism, that may have suggested the potential for Catholics to stray too far from Church teachings. What the History of Saint Augustine Can Teach us About Pope Leo XIV Despite setting limits on the autonomy of the American Church, the social teachings of Leo XIII had enormous influence on Catholicism in the U.S., especially after the horrors of World War I. The National Catholic Welfare Council (now the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, or the USCCB) gave its full support to the philosophy laid down by Pope Leo XIII in Rerum. In 1919, the Council adopted a Program of Social Reconstruction, which supported the institution of living wages, public pensions, and a variety of other government-provided aids for working men and women. In the following decades, numerous labor priests, such as John A. Ryan, George G. Higgins, Philip A. Carey, Joseph F. Donnelly, and Charles Owen Rice, led the way in advocating for workers. They instructed workers about Catholic social teaching, and operated labor schools to educate them on their rights and on the Catholic Church's positions on the important economic and social issues presented by the Great Depression and World War II. The Catholic Worker movement, led by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, was but one prominent example of the impact and the implementation of Catholic social teaching outside of theology courses and on American city streets. It provided charitable relief and practiced communal labor through its houses of hospitality, which Day envisioned would bring "workers and scholars together' in a place where they could 'discuss Christian principles of organization as set forth in the encyclicals.' Over time, American Catholicism has become fractured between theological conservatives and liberals. Today, the divides increasingly intersect with broader partisan battles outside the Church. In this landscape, Catholic social teaching and debates over the compatibility of Catholicism and Americanism are not mere historical relics of a previous century. They are vital issues that played formative roles in shaping the contemporary Catholic Church that Leo XIV now leads. Whether the new Pope chose the name Leo XIV to signal his affinity for Leo XIII is probably something only he knows. Yet, in so much as it does, it may indicate both that the new Pontiff is interested in economic matters, especially the struggles of working men and women to scrape by, and the ever-present debates over freedom versus order and the meaning of liberty in a hierarchical institution like the Church. The choice of his name may suggest that while Leo XIV will thrill liberal Catholics on social justice issues, he may lean more toward the Church's conservative wing when it comes to maintaining doctrinal boundaries. William S. Cossen is a historian of American religion and nationalism, and the author of Making Catholic America: Religious Nationalism in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era . Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Learn more about Made by History at TIME here. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors. Write to Made by History at madebyhistory@
The Herald Scotland
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
How Pope Leo XIV will navigate conservative divide in church, US
"The cardinals did not elect somebody who was going to reject the legacy of Pope Francis and take us back to the old church," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and columnist for Religion News Service. "That day is over." The 133-member conclave, an assembly of cardinals for which Francis appointed 80% of its members, concluded May 8 with the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. The new pope's background and early remarks since his election, plus the significance as the first U.S.-born pope, is readjusting an earlier calculus for future change and any ensuing conflict. In some of Leo's earliest comments since his election on the idea of reform, the new pope said in a May 10 meeting with cardinals he hopes to further some of the changes that Francis championed. Specifically, the new pope cited his predecessor's work on synodality, referring to Francis' call for "decentralization" in policy decision-making, and "dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities." These same reforms were at the heart of an escalating conflict between the Vatican and an emergent Catholic right in the U.S., a movement that seeks more independence for American Catholicism. But earlier expectations about that widening division is upended with Leo's election. "This is incredibly interesting because it changes the relationships between the Vatican and the West, and the Vatican and U.S. Catholicism," Massimo Faggioli, a leading Catholic theologian and professor at Villanova University, said about Prevost's election. "It's really a different set of cards that the conclave has given to the papacy." Prevost, who most recently served as a top Vatican administrator who managed bishop appointments for Francis, spent most of his 44-year career in ministry in his hometown of Chicago and in Peru. He's a dual citizen in the U.S. and Peru, and is also a member of and leading figure within the Order of St. Augustine. Faggioli and Cathleen Kaveny, a professor of theology and law at Boston College, said Leo's American bona fides make it harder for U.S. critics to attack the new pope with some of the same claims they leveled against his predecessor. "You got someone who has a global outlook who's rooted in the American heartland," Kaveny said. "You've got a pope who understands America and who can't be dismissed as, 'You don't like Americans.'" More: Pope Leo XIV visits Francis' tomb, says he wants to uphold 'precious legacy' 'Continuity' with Francis, not 'repetition' Conservatives over time revolted against reforms that Francis championed to change how the church operated due to fears they could alter Catholic doctrine. Examples of some of these key changes under Francis were revised procedures for an assembly of bishops known as a synod by allowing women and laity to participate, and his appointment of women to lead certain Vatican agencies. Backlash on the right, motivated by a combination of ideological and ecclesiological grievances, popularized attitudes that questioned the legitimacy of Francis' authority. Francis sought to quell some of that uprising, and Leo in his prior post even had a role it in along the way. In his role as a Vatican administrator over bishop appointments, Leo helped manage discipline for the incendiary Texas bishop Rev. Joseph Strickland, according to National Catholic Reporter. The Vatican removed Strickland from his post over the Diocese of Tyler in 2023, and for similar reasons pursued disciplinary action against two other high-ranking church leaders in the U.S. around the same time. Reese, author of the 1998 book "Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church," said Leo's background with bishop oversight signals "we are going to have a lot of new bishops in the United States who are more supportive of what Francis did and what Leo is going to be trying to do." This emergent Catholic right in the U.S. has deepened in its loyalty to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert. Vance is among several Catholics in Trump's cabinet, some of whom are allies of this emergent Catholic right and its belief in applying narrow religious criteria to government policy. These tensions contributed to clashes between Francis and the Trump administration, such as a February dispute between the late pope and Vance over immigration enforcement. Likewise, proponents of Francis within in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also expressed concern about Trump's immigration agenda. Amid that controversy, Prevost shared on social media articles that criticized Vance's stance on immigration and comments about Francis. "I do not expect him (Leo XIV) to move quickly, but he will bring a geopolitical awareness to deal with the Trump administration," said Mathew Schmalz, a professor of religious studies at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Leo has said little about other major social and cultural issues that have animated the emergent Catholic right, especially inclusion for LGBTQ+ Catholics and women's ordination as deacons. Plus, Kaveny and Faggioli said that even if Leo engages these future feuds that he will do so with a different flare. "This election is an election of continuity with Francis," Faggioli said. "It will not be a repetition of Francis." Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at ladams@ or on social media @liamsadams. Contributing: Marc Ramirez in Texas, Deena Yellin in New Jersey and Peter Kramer in New York.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gaza, gay rights, abuse and Trump: How will Pope Leo XIV confront global crisis?
The first-ever American-born pope inherits a world in crisis. In his first remarks as Pope Leo XIV, Chicago's Robert Francis Prevost prayed for peace. He said it nine times during Thursday's brief address. 'Peace be with you. … This was the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave His life for the flock of God,' he said in Italian, explaining his choice of words as he spoke to a crowd and the world from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. 'I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are; and all the peoples, and all the earth: Peace be with you.' Leo XIV's vision for the Catholic church is one of 'peace and justice' and 'building bridges' ready to receive, with open arms, 'all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.' A united church must seek 'peace, charity, closeness, especially to those who are suffering,' he said. His urgent message of peace confronts vast suffering and death from brutal wars, simmering tensions among nuclear powers, a long shadow of abuse within a church he now leads, and humanitarian outrage from his home country following three months of chaos under Donald Trump's administration. By treaty, the Vatican has exercised neutrality in wars for a century, and the pope is barred from mediating global conflicts unless requested by warring parties. But Leo XIV's ascent thrusts him into a period of global turmoil, with both worshippers and a growingly secular American public closely watching whether his message will resonate. Catholics Vote Common Good, an American progressive Catholic activism group, hailed Leo XIV's election as a 'new day for modern American Catholicism.' The conclave 'gave us something we could have only dreamed of,' wrote the group's national co-chair Denise Murphy McGraw. A pope 'who is as committed to social justice as we are — and as was our beloved Pope Francis,' she said. Leo XIV succeeds Francis, who repeatedly demanded a ceasefire in Gaza and condemned Israel's devastation. Francis also called the Holy Family Church in Gaza every night since the beginning of the war, speaking with church leaders and displaced Palestinians sheltering inside. A white popemobile built for his 2014 visit to Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is to be transformed into a mobile health clinic to treat Palestinian children, among one of the final missions he blessed in the months before his death on April 21. Israel's President Isaac Herzog said in a statement that he is looking forward 'to enhancing the relationship between Israel and the Holy See, and strengthening the friendship between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land and around the world.' 'May your papacy be one of building bridges and understanding between all faiths and peoples. May we see the immediate and safe return of the hostages still held in Gaza, and a new era of peace in our region and around the world,' he said. Francis also repeatedly urged for peace in Ukraine and maintained an open line of communication with Kyiv throughout Russia's ongoing assault. After meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in October 2024, Francis, while not explicitly naming Russia as the aggressor, appealed for 'Ukrainians not to be left to freeze to death' and 'stop the killing of innocent people.' 'Ukraine deeply values the Holy See's consistent position in upholding international law, condemning the Russian Federation's military aggression against Ukraine, and protecting the rights of innocent civilians,' Zelensky wrote following Leo XIV's election. 'At this decisive moment for our country, we hope for the continued moral and spiritual support of the Vatican in Ukraine's efforts to restore justice and achieve a lasting peace,' he added. The papal conclave also selected Leo XIV despite allegations that he had mishandled sexual abuse cases involving priests in both Peru and the United States. Survivors of abuse are now demanding accountability from the new pope and a 'grave reckoning' that should follow. 'We were once the children of the church,' reads an open letter from Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests sent in the moments after Leo XIV's election. 'The sex offender in the collar commits two crimes: one against the body, and one against the voice,' survivors wrote. 'The grand pageantry around your election reminds us: survivors do not carry the same weight in this world as you do.' Leo XIV also will face a church that 'stands on the threshold of a hopeful and inclusive new chapter' for LGBT+ communities, according to GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis. With his leadership, 'there is an extraordinary opportunity to inspire billions around the world and further embrace LGBTQ people with compassion, dignity, and love,' she said. 'He can build on the progress already made and help create a Church that truly reflects the universal message of acceptance and care for all,' she added. Leo XIV — the 'Latin Yankee,' as he is known in Rome — follows the Jesuit legacy of Francis in South America. Leo XIV spent 20 years as a missionary among Peru's poorest communities, and was so enamored with the country he became a naturalized citizen there. Leo XIV and Francis, an Argentine who became the Church's first leader from South America, maintained intimate connections to Latin America and across the global south, and were attuned to the unrest, violence and economic devastation that has fueled instability across continents. During Trump's first presidency, Leo XIV shared several posts on social media criticizing the president's agenda, particularly his actions against refugees, Trump's 'racism and nativism,' and family separation policies. He reposted a statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2017 against Trump's order halting refugee admissions. Another post mourned America's descent into an 'immoral nation' by abandoning Syrian refugees. He also shared a post saying there is 'nothing remotely Christian, American or morally defensible' about Trump-era family separations in immigration cases. He shared another post from Democratic Senator Chris Murphy in 2017, condemning 'cowardice' in Congress to pass gun control after a massacre in Las Vegas. Leo XIV did not post in 2024, but in 2025 he posted five times — including two posts criticizing Vice President JD Vance for his widely derided views on the concept of Christian love and Trump's immigration policy. His most recent post on X shares criticism of Trump's meeting with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who has agreed to detain deported immigrants from the United States in his notorious prison. 'Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?' the post says. Trump congratulated Leo XIV shortly after his election, calling the appointment of an American pope an 'honor' and saying he looks forward to a meeting that will be a 'very meaningful moment.' Vance, who posted his congratulations more than an hour later, wrote: 'I'm sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
5 takeaways from Robert Prevost's election as first American pope
History was made on Thursday when Robert Francis Prevost was selected as the first American head of the Catholic Church, taking the name of Pope Leo XIV. The idea of an American pope has historically been considered a long shot because cardinals typically pick leaders from non-superpower nations. Here are five takeaways from Thursday's historic election: When white smoke began to billow above the Sistine Chapel after just two days of conclave deliberation, signaling a new pope had been selected, anticipation around the world immediately grew. As soon as Leo walked across the balcony to address the crowd gathered in Vatican City, news that the incoming pope was an American — the first ever — spread across the country like wildfire. In the U.S., cable and network news channels provided wall-to-wall coverage of the scene in Rome, which saw thousands of people cheering, praying and crying as Leo spoke to the crowd. American Catholics proclaimed pride across social media, while top U.S. leaders issued statements congratulating the church's newest historic leader. 'The church in the U.S. has been growing at a smaller but steady rate and this is likely to send that into overdrive,' said David Lantigua, co-director of the University of Notre Dame's Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism. 'The fact his first language is English will give him an ability to communicate to the U.S. church and give him a certain amount of trust among American Catholics.' The first American pope is likely to draw outsized attention and scrutiny, Lantigua said, though he predicted Leo 'won't back down on issues that are of importance for the church in its defense in the dignity of the poor and the needy.' Minutes after Leo took the balcony to address the crowd gathered in Vatican City, President Trump weighed in, expressing gratitude the new pope was born in the U.S. 'Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social website. 'What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!' Trump, who had just days earlier joked that he himself would like to be pope, indicated before Thursday's decision his pick for the vacant papacy was Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a conservative and New York's archbishop. Vice President Vance also congratulated Leo, writing that 'I'm sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!' Earlier this year, Leo shared a column calling Vance wrong for comments about the prioritization of love for others. And the new pope's most recent repost criticizes the Trump administration's deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. 'Obviously, as an American, I think many Americans will take great pride in one of their fellow citizens being elected Pope, which is something that for much of the history of this country would have seemed scarcely imaginable,' said Daniel Rober, chair of the department of Catholic studies at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. 'On the other hand, I do think that his approach to the United States in terms of diplomacy and other matters will probably continue on the track established by Pope Francis. … I would think that this signals likely a continued kind of rocky path with the Trump administration and with perhaps some of the American bishops,' he added. Leo, 69, was born in Chicago and did much of his work for the church in Peru. An Augustinian friar, he graduated from Villanova University in 1977. He was raised in Dolton, Ill., to Louis Prevost, a superintendent of Glenwood School District 167, and Millie Prevost, a librarian, according to South Cook News. A pope from the American Midwest sparked a torrent of online jokes and memes on Thursday, with Chicago's mayor writing on social media 'everything dope, including the Pope, comes from Chicago! Congratulations to the first American Pope Leo XIV! We hope to welcome you back home soon.' Leo's selection was also a major moment for one of the largest Catholic colleges in the U.S. Villanova was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, and when Leo graduated, he joined the Augustinian order of the Catholic priests. His bio on the social platform X reads, 'Católico, agustino, Obispo,' which translate to 'Catholic, Augustinian, Bishop.' 'Known for his humility, gentle spirit, prudence and warmth, Pope Leo XIV's leadership offers an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our educational mission,' said Villanova President Rev. Peter M. Donohue in a statement issued through the school. Though he was born and raised in the U.S., Leo spent much of his career as a missionary in South America, becoming a bishop in Peru. He holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship, giving him what Church followers and religious scholars anticipate will be a global perspective as he presides over the church. Leo was described in some pre-conclave talks as 'the least American of the American cardinals,' Rober said. 'He's somebody who's keenly aware of the U.S. and the kinds of issues that it faces and that the church here faces, but he's somebody who is not of the U.S. church in recent decades,' Rober said. 'He's certainly somebody who himself has lived a life across borders, who has lived a life in many countries, has seen different social conditions of Latin America.' The last pope with the same name, Pope Leo XIII, helmed the church more than 100 years ago and was known for his work on Catholic social teaching, one of the principles of which is the free movement of peoples. At a time when the hot-button issue of immigration is overwhelming discourse in the U.S. and elsewhere, the cardinals' selection of Leo 'sends a certain kind of message,' Rober noted. Those who know Leo best say he, like Francis before him, has a deep concern for the poor and working-class people around the world. 'He always made [a] conscious decision to make sure that the poor were attended to sacramentally,' Rev. John Lydon, who lived with the new pope in Peru for years, said during an appearance on CNN. 'And we had soup kitchens for the poor as well. So, his heart is there with the poor.' Leo's selection is being widely seen as a progressive move by the Church, one that builds off Pope Francis's legacy of catering to the poorest human beings and working-class people around the world. It is also being seen as sign to American Catholics and across the West more generally that the Church is interested in growing its ranks in the U.S. 'You can expect him to provide moral and ethical guidelines for how an industrial society should operate,' said Joe Ferullo, CEO and publisher of the National Catholic Reporter. Ferullo said that while less than 10 percent of the world's Catholics live in the U.S., the selection of Leo tells American followers of the church 'we haven't forgotten you, even though the church isn't as healthy there as it is in other parts of the world.' Mathew Schmalz, a religious studies professor at the College of the Holy Cross, noted Leo brings 'an interesting compromise, American, Latin American, European, with worldwide experience.' 'He will focus on peace, dialogue and encouragement,' Schmalz predicted. 'His praise of Francis is significant. I do not expect him to move quickly, but he will bring a geopolitical awareness to deal with the Trump administration.' Alex Gangitano contributed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Canberra Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Canberra Times
Pope Leo XIV overcame a taboo against a US pontiff
Prevost's election "is a deep sign of commitment to social issues. I think it is going to be exciting to see a different kind of American Catholicism in Rome," said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor of religious studies at Manhattan University in New York City.
