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Hope for the growth of Catholicism in America under Pope Leo XIV

Yahoo

3 days ago

General
Yahoo

Hope for the growth of Catholicism in America under Pope Leo XIV

It wasn't until one afternoon a few days after Cardinal Robert Provost was elected Pope Leo XIV that I really had time to sit down and process what had just transpired in the Catholic Church. I was sitting in an Irish pub that sits on one of the busiest streets in Rome about a mile away from the Vatican. It had been my first afternoon when I didn't have an evening's work ahead of me. The only thing that was ahead of me was a newspaper that I had bought from a street vendor and a pint of Peroni. As I sat at a small table by a window in the pub, I stared at the front page of the paper which featured a smiling Pope Leo with a headline that read 'Un Americano a Roma' (an American in Rome). It finally hit me: I had just witnessed, for the first time in history, an American-born man be elected Pope. During the Conclave, all Vatican credentialed media, myself included, were positioned together on top of one of the colonnades that harbor St. Peter's Square. It gave us a beautiful vantage point allowing us to look down on the massive crowd of people in the Square while also being at eye level with the famed smoke chimney across the way. Just to our left, about 20 yards away, was the balcony which the pope commonly uses to make an address. All squeezed together at the edge of the terrace, we witnessed the white smoke billow out of the chimney. Simultaneously, the crowd below roared so loud that the colonnade shook. The roars of the crowd only got more substantial as Cardinal Mamberti came out on the balcony and proclaimed 'Habemus Papam' (we have a pope). Being a cradle Catholic and a product of the Catholic school system, I knew what that meant. As for the other Latin that Mamberti proclaimed, I was completely lost and couldn't even make out which name he stated. I continued to photograph the happenings while urgently texting Bishop Joe (Joseph Brenner), his team and members of the media back home. I suddenly felt some pats on my shoulder and saw a hand pop up in front of my face. I was startle — I thought I had maybe ruined someone's shot and was about to get smacked in the face over it. To my surprise, the hand that was in my face was being offered to me as a high five. The Italian journalists I had been surrounded by all started uttering 'Americano.' I was a little confused at first and thought, 'maybe they just realized I'm American.' Then the guy who gave me the high five said in broken English, 'the Pope is from your America, Provost.' That was how I found out who the newly elected pope. To be honest, I was surprised by the enthusiasm in which the foreign media had for a pope from America. We eagerly awaited as Pope Leo IX made his first appearance on that balcony and addressed the crowd. As I could sense his address drawing to a close, I was calculating how many Zoom calls I would need to jump on with journalists from the Central Valley. I was also calculating how much time it would take me to get back to a media room in which I could facilitate the calls. Before leaving the terrace of the colonnade, I put my phone in my suit jacket, stood toward the back of the media crowd and, for just a moment, let it all sink in. I felt immense pride in my Catholic faith and to be an American. Sitting at the pub, I contemplated what this newly elected pope meant for the Catholic Church. I am excited for Pope Leo's papacy, and we are already seeing that many younger Americans are also excited — or, at the very least, showing interest in who he is. Since his election, we have seen interviews where his brothers refer to him as 'Rob,' we have established that he is a Chicago White Sox fan and TikTok has had some pretty entertaining Pope Leo content. I had the honor to attend Pope Leo's first press conference. I sat four rows back from the front and got to see his expressions as he spoke. The press conference in which he kicked off with a dad joke had a lot of highlights, including when he said that 'communication creates culture.' The profoundness of that statement is simple yet impactful. He's acknowledging that his communication — what he says and how he says it — will affect not only how the Catholic Church manifests, but also how the spiritual intellect of the people will develop. It is not breaking news that the Catholic Church in America has been pondering how the church will look in the future. It is a church that is working on garnering appreciation and trust from younger generations. I have managed strategic communications for two different dioceses and two different bishops in a span of almost seven years. When it comes to bringing people into or closer to the faith, I have seen the church most successful when we can do two things: humanize the church's teachings and the people who teach them, and meet people where they're at. We all know that it is easier to obtain guidance from someone we trust or relate to. This is not to say that we couldn't trust or relate to previous popes, as they were all benevolent and trustworthy through their pastoral leadership. However, regarding the Catholic Church in America, I anticipate Pope Leo having an advantage in quickly resonating with the people due to our shared nationality. I have already had people of different faiths — and even of no faith — reach out to me and initiate conversations about Pope Leo and the church. The interviews with his brothers, the dad jokes and seeing him try to use FaceTime have already made him relatable. When I've seen this type of Pope Leo content, it instantly reminds me of my grandparents or a great uncle. It makes me and others want to see and learn more of him because we can see a glimpse of our lives in his. This sense of relatability and meeting Americans where they're at will undoubtedly have an impact on the growth of Catholicism in our nation. It shows us that we can be human and, at the same time, be a part of a discipline of faith. To add to this anticipation of growth, you also must take into account the clergy members (deacons, priests and bishops) that serve us in our communities and how they'll take his lead in this style of evangelization. As for Catholicism in the Central Valley, I know first-hand that we have a bishop and many clergy that see the importance of relatability and meeting people where they're at. Whether that be social media or among the marginalized. We are also led by a body of priests, including our bishops, who know the value of humility and continue to be vulnerable in an effort to better reach their flocks. I know from my discussions with Bishop Brennan that he is excited for this new chapter under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV. On behalf of the bishop and the Diocese of Fresno, I ask that you join us in praying for Pope Leo and the growth of the Catholic faith in and beyond our beautiful country. Chandler Marquez is director of communications for the Diocese of Fresno.

Best photos of JUNE 01: Mass for the Jubilee of Families in Vatican to Top ten contestants in Miss World Finale

The National

3 days ago

Entertainment
The National

Best photos of JUNE 01: Mass for the Jubilee of Families in Vatican to Top ten contestants in Miss World Finale

Pope Leo XIV arrives on his pope mobile before celebrating a Mass for the Jubilee of Families in St Peter's Square, at the Vatican. AP Photo

Pope Leo appeals for Gaza ceasefire, laments deaths of children

LBCI

28-05-2025

General
LBCI

Pope Leo appeals for Gaza ceasefire, laments deaths of children

Pope Leo appealed on Wednesday for a ceasefire in Gaza, and called on Israel and Hamas militants to "completely respect" international humanitarian law. "In the Gaza Strip, the intense cries are reaching Heaven more and more from mothers and fathers who hold tightly to the bodies of their dead children," the pontiff said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. Reuters

Pope Leo's Doctoral Dissertation: Thoughts on Power and Authority

New York Times

22-05-2025

General
New York Times

Pope Leo's Doctoral Dissertation: Thoughts on Power and Authority

Almost 40 years ago, an American graduate student in Rome was closely examining the question of what it meant to be a wise and effective leader in the Catholic Church. Today, the doctoral dissertation that Robert Prevost produced in the mid-1980s is one of the most detailed glimpses into the early intellectual life of the man who became Pope Leo XIV this month. The publication is all the more notable because Mr. Prevost didn't produce many public texts, interviews and speeches in the intervening years. The 167-page text is written in English and titled 'The Office and Authority of the Local Prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.' It focuses, often very technically, on authority in the religious order that he joined as a young man. He also addresses how the order's local leaders should function in the organization, and more broadly expounds on the essence and purpose of leadership itself. 'There is no room in Augustine's concept of authority for one who is self-seeking and in search of power over others,' the future pope wrote in one passage. 'The exercise of authority in any Christian community requires the setting aside of all self-interest and a total dedication to the good of the community.' That theme has carried through his life and may suggest how he aims to lead as pope. During the homily at his inaugural Mass at St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo echoed an idea and a particular Bible verse from the document. 'Peter must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat, lording it over those entrusted to him,' he preached on Sunday. He wrote in his thesis that 'the virtue of humility is indispensable for any superior' and referenced the New Testament book of 1 Peter: 'Be examples to the flock, not lording it over those assigned to you.' In a section on 'safeguarding the life of the community,' Mr. Prevost addresses how a local leader should handle serious disciplinary cases involving a member of the order, including sexual offenses. Previous pontiffs arrived in the office with volumes of published materials that offer insight into their thinking and interests. Benedict XVI, who was pope from 2005 to 2013, was a prolific theologian and a respected scholar who served for decades as the head of the Vatican's top doctrine office. When Pope Francis, Leo's predecessor, was selected, he had recently published a compilation of his 'reflections,' which he wrote as an archbishop in Buenos Aires. Pope Leo, by contrast, spent almost his entire career working for the Order of the Augustinians, a relatively small order founded in the 13th century. After earning degrees at Villanova University and Catholic Theological Union in the United States, he earned two degrees at Rome's Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, including a doctorate that was published in 1987. The thesis that was the culmination of his studies in Rome quite literally gathered dust on university library shelves, just another record of another graduate student's extensive studies. Except this student would become the pope. The text finds Leo writing to address a practical issue, if a dry one: how religious orders should function in light of a major revision of canon law that was issued in 1983, just four years before the dissertation was published. That revision was initiated in the 1960s, and developed in the long wake of the Second Vatican Council, which reshaped almost every aspect of the church's relationship to the modern world. Mr. Prevost's dissertation is primarily focused on pragmatic affairs: how long a prior can stay in office, the structure of mandatory retreats, even how he must advertise workshops. But it also contains hints to how he may lead a global church in the next phase of its long history. Here are eight passages that capture the new pope's thinking as a young scholar on leadership, authority and some of the church's most pressing dilemmas. Mr. Prevost refers in his introduction to the 'painful struggle' since the 1960s that led to so much upheaval in the church and the wider world. Citing Pope Paul VI, who led the church from 1963 to 1978, he stresses the need for balance between the values of love and freedom, and obedience and order. A new 'age of personalism' was influencing life in religious orders, too. Mr. Prevost was very concerned with authority and its potential for misuse. He draws this theme from St. Augustine, who is cited everywhere in his thesis. Augustine was concerned about the human lust for domination, and how leaders and institutions needed to work to put boundaries on unchecked power. This was a theme that also concerned Pope Francis, who warned that 'where there is domination, there is abuse,' specifically in the treatment of women. Mr. Prevost repeatedly emphasizes that authority should be a service rather than an opportunity for control. Again citing Augustine, he notes that authority in religious life is not an end to itself. In the order, a leader's role is to help those in the community 'live harmoniously,' guiding them through potential pitfalls and conflicts, and to listen, discuss and respect the talent and intelligence of all. True authority, he writes, requires trust and humility. The act of listening is an Augustinian principle, both listening to God and to one another. It brings the community together, which the prior, as a leader of the community, has a key role in. This 'theology of listening' was present when Pope Leo first addressed the world from St. Peter's balcony after his election. He called for a 'synodal church,' referencing the process of listening and discussion between church leaders and lay people that Pope Francis prioritized, and that Pope Leo is expected to advance. Another recurring theme is the importance of personal relationships in smoothing the inevitable challenges of communal life, including conflicts between authorities and those they lead. Mr. Prevost emphasizes that a 'collegial,' approachable authority can more easily address struggles in the community. But he also writes that while both authority and obedience have communal dimensions, 'in the end there must also be an individual who retains the authority to make decisions and to guide the life of the religious.' Mr. Prevost's dissertation briefly addresses how a prior should handle a wide range of serious disciplinary cases involving a member of the order, including those dealing with sexual offenses. . Citing canon law and the rule book of the Augustinians, Mr. Prevost lists offenses that might lead someone to be dismissed from the order. They include issues like losing 'the religious spirit completely' but also homicide, kidnapping, procuring an abortion or an 'offense against the sixth commandment with force or threats or publicly or with a minor below the age of sixteen.' The sixth commandment in Catholic teaching prohibits adultery. Mr. Prevost emphasizes the importance of charity and sensitivity in enforcing any penalties against a member. 'In the most urgent cases, if no other steps can be taken, the local Prior can, with the consent of his Council, expel a Brother from the house,' he writes. 'The purpose of correcting one of the Brothers is to seek his conversion and to safeguard the life of the community.' Near the end, he clarifies that the prior's role is more than rules and practicalities. For Mr. Prevost, administration and spirituality are intertwined. From a young age, he too had prominent administrative skills — from auditing the finances of his high school yearbook to earning a reputation as a competent leader in the curia. At the Vatican, cardinals are already talking about how he may bring those skills to reform the bureaucracy.

Pope Leo XIV calls for aid to reach Gaza and an end to hostilities in his first general audience

Washington Post