Father Leo XIVBy Paulina Guzik, OSV News
It has only been a few days since the election of the pope Leo XIV, but the 266th successor of Peter has already given a hint of the style of his papacy, from his traditional papal vestments on the day of his election to his first homily in the Sistine Chapel on May 9 and his address to the cardinals on May 10.
We asked George Weigel, American biographer of Polish Pope St. John Paul II, about what the early days of his papacy reveal about Pope Leo XIV, how, as an American missionary, he can influence the world, and about his own hopes for the papacy. Weigel is a leading senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington.
What was your reaction to the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope?
-Since Pope Leo has spent much of his ministerial life in Latin America, I did not instinctively think of him as a "North American Pope," even though he was born in Chicago. I think there has been a tendency to exaggerate this national issue in the early days of the pontificate. It is an interesting development that we now have a U.S.-born pope, but what it really shows is that national origin does not matter in the search for a successor to Peter in the 21st century.
What does the first homily and the appearance at Mass and on the balcony tell us about the kind of papacy that awaits us?
-I thought Pope Leo presented himself very well, showing that he understands the nature of his office. I don't think he is going to be a pope with personal peculiarities.
How can Pope Leo XIV influence the United States? What is needed from the Pope regarding his country?
-What the vital parts of the Church in the U.S. will seek is what they would seek from any pope, regardless of where he was born: support and affirmation of the new evangelization and its efforts to convert a deeply confused culture; an understanding that the living parts of the Church in the U.S. embrace Catholicism in its entirety, not a light Catholicism; and encouragement to continue the Catholic work of building a culture of life and resisting the culture of death.
How can Pope Leo XIV influence the world as an American and as a missionary?
-Pope Leo is a very intelligent man, so he must know that the great crisis of our time lies in the very idea of the human person: are there presuppositions in the human condition, the understanding of which leads to personal happiness and social solidarity, or is it all plastic and malleable, so that we can change who and what we are by acts of will? The best service the new Pope can render to the world is to teach it, or in some cases remind it, of the biblical vision of who we are and where we are to go: we are creations, not accidents; and we are destined for glory with God, who is the ultimate reason for our existence.
What are your hopes for this papacy?
-Clarity in doctrinal and moral teaching, good governance, thoughtful appointments to the episcopacy and the College of CardinalsThe best thing this pope, or any pope, can do is to follow the example of John Paul II and summon people to a courage that transcends partisanship and nationalism. As for world politics, the best thing this pope, or any pope, can do is to follow the example of John Paul II and summon people to a courage that transcends partisanship and narrow nationalism, and calls out aggression and evil for what they are.
