Even in an era in which organized religion is a diminished force, the selection of a new pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics — about 1.4 million of them in San Diego and Imperial counties — is a moment of immense significance. The Roman Catholic Church retains the moral authority that allows it to influence even non-believers in a way that can transcend national, cultural and ideological boundaries.
That is why the selection of Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost to be the first U.S.-born pontiff was greeted in many circles with both hope and relief. While Pope Leo XIV — his chosen name — is no clone of Pope Francis, in key ways the 1977 Villanova graduate appears in tune with his predecessor.
Besides using his 12 years as pope to strengthen Catholicism’s at-times fraught relationships with other major religions, Francis also reached out to groups long resigned to pariah status in church circles. In 2013, when he said, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” it resonated in a way that few if any modern papal comments have.
The new pope — whose first words were “Peace be with all of you!” — might not have such a defining moment in his past, and The New York Times noted his 2012 remarks expressing discomfort with how “alternate lifestyles” are validated in popular culture. But like Francis, he has long seen it as his duty to help the poor and marginalized. For years, he served as Francis’ top adviser on the selection of new bishops. It is hard to imagine Francis giving him such a central role without a deep sense that his American colleague shared his belief in a more accepting church. An early measure of his leadership could come in how he responds to Catholic traditionalists’ likely call for him to reverse Pope Francis’ 2023 decision to allow priests to ister blessings to same-sex couples. If he stays the course, it will be an affirmation of Francis’ belief that some of the church’s former hardline views serve little constructive purpose.
Fluent in Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese in addition to English, the new pope spent 20 years serving as a missionary, parish priest, teacher and bishop in Peru, leading to his holding dual U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. He also spent many years studying and working at the Vatican. He is a citizen of the world at a time when the church faces more of a challenge than ever in reflecting Catholicism’s increasingly global nature. While the Vatican’s hierarchy remains dominated by Europeans, having an American pope follow in the footsteps of an Argentine pope affirms this new reality.
The editorial board has high hopes for this son of Chicago’s south side. May he prove to be, in the splendid Latin phrase, a “pontifex maximus” — a builder of bridges. Lord knows, no pun intended, that is what the world needs.
