Celebrating our New Pope, Leo XIV

Last week as the Papal Conclave met, we had several monitors in the school and office on a feed from the Vatican that kept a camera on the famous chimney that is installed at the Sistine Chapel when a conclave gathers. As white smoke went up, the school kids watched in the cafeteria, and I was with office staff in the office as Pope Leo XIV was introduced to the world.

Like many I was a little surprised – but that is how conclaves work. The Holy Spirit has ways of surprising us all. I don’t think too many were expecting a pope who was born and raised on the south side of Chicago.

There is much to celebrate, but if we focus on the pope being an American, or if someone tries to portray him as a man who will be a “liberal” or “conservative” pope, we miss the point. He will have his unique style, but he will strive his best to be a shepherd of our universal Church. With that in mind, I think there’s a few things that we should all strive to remember and do as Catholics.

For one, we should pray for the pope. Hopefully we do in our private prayers. I of course pray the Mass and mention his name every time I offer Mass in prayer (though I may have slipped and said “Francis” a time or two – I’m getting used to remembering Leo!). But no matter who is the pope, hopefully we pray for the man as the first among equals.

Second, a bit about that part – the “first among equals.” The pope is a bishop; the Bishop of Rome, taking the place of Peter. The pope works with his brother bishops, which is why there are things such as synods and councils. He’ll certainly be promulgating writings and probably an encyclical or two – but these are also done with other theologians helping him. He has the right as pope to do this, and he may clarify some teachings, or modify others through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It’s why Church teaching develops over time – this is “Tradition” with the capital “T” – the Holy Spirit continuing to help popes and bishops as revelation is clarified through the ages.

Third, my hope is that as our new pope begins to speak and write more, we take seriously what he has to say. This is not to say that each teaching carries the weight of a dogma, or that if we read something and say “that is a little confusing” or “that’s a bit of a struggle” it puts us outside of the faith or a schismatic. There are of course people who break with Church teaching to the point of schism. But the bigger challenge in this day and age is, I think, the jumping to a conclusion rather quickly. For instance in 1968, Saint Paul VI promulgated “Humane Vitae” or “On the Regulation of Birth.” Many around the world jumped on it for speaking against birth control, but this is only a small part of the document. It has much to say on the dignity of men and women, and how we treat one another, and on life. As one of my brother priests remarked in seminary when we went through it, “isn’t it amazing at how some of the things he warned about came to pass?” Getting the Cliff Notes version of things can at times help, but in a world where we just run to our favorite blog or news source for a recap, it’s important to try to really study and read through what a pope has to say on a given issue of the day.
Fourth, let us remember to trust the Church. We are part of the Church Jesus founded upon Peter, that continues to guide us, and to give us the sacraments to bring us closer to God. Jesus knew what He was doing and the Holy Spirit will never abandon us!

Lastly, while we all have our styles or preferences in what stands out to us, be it a liturgical style, or an area of Church ministry we take an interest in, or a passion about the direction the Church should go in, may we never forget that we are One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic – the Church of all peoples. What struck me when looking at Saint Peter’s Square that day were the people from all over the world there. When the new pope was announced you did not hear sighs from those who were not from the United States or Peru, where he served as an Archbishop. You heard the sounds of joy and happiness as bells rang out. In our day and age when we can be so polarized by politics even within the Church, may we strive for greater unity praying for our pope and bishops, and working together – something worth thinking about as we approach the great feast of Pentecost.

It will be exciting to see what our new pope does. I’ve already read many things about him online, and he sounds like a wonderful servant of God who will do so much as our shepherd. May we pray for him and support him, and celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was indeed right – the gates of the netherworld will never prevail against His Church.

Have a blessed week!  Fr. Paul

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May 2025