Father Leo XIVUndoubtedly, Cardinal Prevost was in all the pools of Vatican experts to be elected as the new Roman Pontiff, since, as we have just heard in his first message, he had not only been created cardinal by Pope Francis, but also because he had brought him from the humble diocese of Chiclayo in Peru to the Roman Curia, to be Prefect of the dicastery of bishops a short time ago, in January 2023.
It seems as if at the end of his Pontificate, Pope Francis wanted to give us a suitable successor to his missionary and synodal illusions in the whole world, since the long pontificate of Francis has a depth and profundity unknown to the world of today, but very intelligible to the people of God who heard more than twenty centuries ago the words of Jesus on the day of the Ascension: "Go and preach to all nations" (Mt 28:19).
First words
It is very significant that the first words of Pope Leo XIV do not refer to Leo XIII, to whom he seems to give continuity, but to Pope Francis since the last words of the previous Holy Father on the morning of the recent Easter were a vigorous impulse to peace in the world, even if he could not pronounce them himself, but his presence corroborated it.
Indeed, taking his cue from the words of the Gospel of John on Resurrection Sunday, the Holy Father Leo XIV began by recalling the words of Jesus to a frightened, humiliated and discouraged people of God hidden in the Upper Room: "Peace be with you" (I John 20:21). At that moment, the presence and encouragement of the Risen One restored their faith, hope and love and made them the pillars of the new Church, which they will spread with great speed throughout the world and to all strata of society.
Therefore, the new pope's call for us to place our hope in the Risen One, that we continue to live this year retire of hope: "Spes non confundit" (Rom 5:5), but now with his guidance and encouragement.
An Augustinian Pope
It is endearing that the new pontiff reminds us that he is the son of St. Augustine, an Augustinian, and therefore a man in love with God who desires to bring the peace of God to the consciences and relationships among the peoples and cities of the world. Therefore, the new Pope, servant of all, servant of the servants of God, will bring to the magisterium of the Church many words and teachings of St. Augustine, a man of great heart and attentive to the love of God and well versed in the relationship between faith and reason.
It is touching that the Holy Spirit wanted to come again to South America to bring us a new pope, first by electing him as bishop of Chiclayo in Peru (2014), where he brought all his Augustinian missionary spirit and knowledge of the land and its people.
Let us not forget that one of the first religious orders to go on mission to America were the Augustinians and, precisely, the Augustinians. Peter of Gaunt (1480-1572) we owe the first pictorial catechism of America, a copy of which is preserved in the permanent exhibition of the National Library of Spain.
U.S. origins
In addition, the new pontiff was baptized in Chicago (1955), is the son of a mother of Spanish descent, and there he completed his priestly studies (ordained in 1982) and joined the Order of St. Augustine in 1977-1981. Therefore, his academic and spiritual formation took place in an American environment and with a mentality that will logically be present when approaching the problems of the Universal Church. In addition, he holds a doctorate in canon law by the Angelicum of Rome, something fundamental for his government work.
Therefore, many of us thought that the new Pontiff would come from Asia, since it seemed that we had already received the imprint of America, and now we needed fresh air from another continent, but perhaps with the new Pontiff we complete this vision with that of North America.
First words
It is also very important to highlight the theological depth of the speech he delivered, together with the closeness of the Christian people and the moving memory of the recently deceased Roman Pontiff. We will need to meditate on it in the coming days in order to try to follow it faithfully.
On the other hand, being a pope who worked in the Curia, it seems as if the Holy Spirit is speaking to us to finish applying the "Praedicate Evangelium", the document with which Pope Francis addressed the reform of the Curia to give it not only the usual sense of service to the universal Church and the particular Churches, but also to encourage that in all the offices of the Curia and in all the institutions of the Church there be a great apostolic and missionary zeal to bring the Gospel capillary to the last country and the last corner of society.
Praying for the Pope
The serenity and restrained emotion of the new Pontiff are proverbial, because the Church of God needs to live every day, and today more than ever, that unity of the Church that St. Josemaría summed up in a very graphic Latin expression: "Omnes cum Petro ad Iesum per Mariam. That is, "all with the Pope to Jesus through Mary.
Leo XIV's joy and restrained emotion show that he is a man with a great heart and, therefore, all Christians throughout the world will receive the affection of his care as today we have received for the first time from his hands the blessing "urbi et orbi".
Finally, we cannot fail to emphasize that he is a native pope of the United States, although he has been a bishop in Latin America and has worked in the Roman Curia, and this will be noticeable in his way of being and will surely be a source of great joy for the many Catholics in that country who have suffered many attacks in recent years and constant humiliation for his courageous defense of human life and other aspects that the Gospel of Christ urges us to spread in very secularized environments.
Member of the Academy of Ecclesiastical History. Professor of the master's degree in the Causes of Saints of the Dicastery, advisor to the Spanish Episcopal Conference and director of the office of the Causes of Saints of Opus Dei in Spain.
Father Leo XIV
