Cardinal Prevost is the new Pope and will be called Leo XIVWhen the Cardinal Robert PrevostChicago-born, Peru-trained, canon lawyer, missionary and prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, introduced himself as the newly elected pope, many expected him to speak in English. He did not.
Despite his fluency and U.S. citizenship, he chose Italian and Spanish. And instead of referring to Chicago, he acknowledged his parish in Peru. The choice was deliberate. It was not just a linguistic or sentimental question, but symbolic, strategic and spiritually charged.
In that discreet act of omission, Pope Leo XIV (as he is now called) made one thing unmistakably clear: he is not a national trophy. He will not be a papal figurehead of American Catholicism or a spokesman for any partisan ideology. He is a pope formed in the crucible of missionary work, multicultural sensitivity and pastoral service to the periphery.
More than geography: A spiritual identity
Born in the United States and with dual Peruvian nationality, Pope Leo XIV embodies a transnational Catholicism that resists easy classification. He is profoundly American, yet he is not America's pope. He served more than 20 years in Latin America, absorbing its ecclesial rhythms, struggles and social priorities. That formation seems to have shaped the initial tone of his papacy: bridge-building, inclusiveness and global awareness.
In temperament and theology, he seems to echo the spirit of Pope Francis, pastorally compassionate and attuned to the poor and marginalized, while remaining doctrinally sound. On women's ordination, for example, he remains aligned with traditional teachings. On social justice issues, however, it channels the same fire that made Pope Francis a global voice for the voiceless.
This balancing act, pastoral progressivism with doctrinal fidelity, places him in a balanced lane, but one that many believe is well suited to today's complex global Church.
Echoes of 1978: The historical pattern of Rome
The Catholic Church has long understood the moral weight of papal symbolism and how leadership can serve as a counterpoint to global ideologies.
When Cardinal Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope John Paul II in 1978, his papacy was widely interpreted as a response to Soviet communism. This was a Polish pope, elected behind the Iron Curtain, who would become a spiritual force against a regime that denied religious freedom and repressed human dignity. His moral leadership was instrumental in galvanizing movements like Solidarity and emboldening the faithful throughout Eastern Europe.
Similarly, the election of Pope Leo XIV seems designed to address a different kind of threat, not from totalitarian regimes, but from ideological extremism, hyper-populist nationalism and corrosive individualism. Just as Rome once offered a moral response to communism, it now seems to offer a response to the crises plaguing the West, particularly those emanating from American culture.
The name of Leo XIV: a historical clue
The name chosen, Leo, has great historical resonance. Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) is remembered as an intellectual with a social conscience, who published the groundbreaking encyclical "Rerum Novarum"which laid the foundations of Catholic social doctrine. It denounced the excesses of capitalism and rejected the false promises of socialism. It defended labor rights, the dignity of workers and the role of trade unions, while affirming the legitimacy of private property.
In choosing "Leo," the new pope may be signaling a similar path: a papacy that will confront contemporary injustices not through political tribalism, but through Catholic moral clarity. Like Leo XIII, he could aspire to renew the Church's role as a mediator between opposing extremes, advocating for the common good while protecting human dignity.
A message to the American Church
In recent years, factions of American Catholicism have become increasingly emboldened in their criticism of Rome. From vociferous resistance to Pope Francis' encyclicals to bishops publicly contradicting Vatican directives, the U.S. Church, like the German Church, has faced internal fractures. Some clergy have aligned themselves in promoting conspiracy theories and sowing division, such as Archbishop Vigano, the result of which is the weakening of ecclesial unity.
The choice of Pope Leo XIV, therefore, can be considered both an invitation and a corrective. He understands the American landscape, he was born into it. But he is not committed to its ideological extremes. Perhaps his silence in English was not a rejection of his roots, but a resistance to being appropriated? There will be those who think it is a subtle but firm rebuke to those who seek to nationalize the papacy or instrumentalize it for culture war purposes. But only time will tell if this is so.
A global response to political extremism
With the return of Donald Trump to political prominence and the continued spread of hyper-nationalist ideologies around the world, the Church faces a profound moral test. In such a climate, the temptation for religious leaders to align themselves with power, echo popular rhetoric or retreat into doctrinal rigidity is strong.
But Pope Leo XIV seems to offer a different path, a calmer and deeper strength rooted in universality and spiritual responsibility. His papacy is not a reactionary stance, but a reflective one, shaped by lived proximity to poverty, diversity and community.
In this context, he does not appear as an "American Pope," but as a global pastor who happens to be American. And that distinction is critical. It allows him to speak credibly to the United States, while providing a necessary counterbalance to the ideological toxicity exported from his politics, which often has global effects.
Latin America: The beating heart of the Church
It is no coincidence that the new Pope maintains strong ties with Latin America, the largest Catholic base in the world. His time in Peru, where he lived, ministered and learned to see the Church through the prism of indigenous communities and struggling parishes, has left a clear mark.
Latin America, more than any other region, has shaped the last two papacies. By rooting the new Pope in this world, the Church reaffirms its commitment to the global South, not only as a mission field, but as a theological and spiritual powerhouse.
A Pope who can speak to the slums of Lima as well as the boardrooms of Washington is uniquely positioned to build bridges between the diverse voices of the Church. His emphasis on unity and dialogue in his inaugural address indicates a clear intent: to foster communion across geographic, cultural and ideological divides. This was not just a call for diplomacy, but a pastoral invitation to heal the fractures in the Body of Christ.
Not dominance, but responsibility
To those who worry that an American pope is a sign of dominance, consider this: the logic behind his election may have less to do with American influence and more to do with moral responsibility. In today's world, the ideological crisis burns brightest in the United States. From within it emerges a culture of division, isolationism and polarization that threatens not only political institutions, but also religious unity.
By electing a Pope who understands that culture and refuses to reproduce it, the Church may be offering a rare and timely intervention. His election is not about elevation, but confrontation. Not of power, but of service. Not of nationalism, but of mission.
Final thoughts
In the end, Rome has not chosen a celebrity. It has chosen a pastor. And in doing so, it has made a masterful move on the world chessboard.
Leo XIV offers the possibility of a papacy that brings healing where there is pain, clarity where there is confusion and global awareness where political systems fail. If he follows the path of Leo XIII, he could become not just a diplomatic or doctrinal pope, but a pope of renewal.
For a Church that must navigate a stormy world, such a voice may be exactly what it needs.
Founder of "Catholicism Coffee".
