Tale of two popes

Habemus Papam! With these words, the whole of Christendom erupted in glorious joy upon the announcement of the 267th successor to the Keys of St. Peter. Pope Leo XIV, previously known as Robert Francis Prevost, the first American to be named head of the more than one billion-strong Catholic Church, an unknown dark horse candidate outside the Vatican circles, who was not one of the much-publicized favored candidates often mentioned to succeed the beloved Pope Francis.

His appointment came as a surprise to Vatican observers who had speculated the choice would probably boil down to what kind of qualities the new Pope should have.

Pope Francis, although much loved particularly by the young because of his humor and warmth, and by those considered to be outside the conventional norms because of his progressive reforms, also attracted many detractors who were uncomfortable with his seemingly confusing stance and his liberality on many controversial issues promoting inclusiveness, such as priestly blessings and allowing the sacraments for LGBTs, same-sex couples, divorced and sacramentally remarried Catholics, albeit done in conscience and with the benefit of pastoral guidance. (Source: Catholic online–Marriage and Family 10/3/23).

His progressiveness on social issues was particularly evident in one of his last writings before his death — a foreword to the short book YOUCAT Love Forever (the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church), where he expounded on sanctity and the complexities of marriage and compared the love between a man and a woman to the tango, a dance he favored when he was young, likening it to a free game between a man and a woman.

As translated from Italian by literary translator Isabella Corleto, Pope Francis wrote: “The male and female dancers court each other and experience closeness and distance, sensuality, attention, discipline and dignity. They rejoice in love and understand what it may mean to give to each other completely.”

His appeal to the youth was manifestly direct. In the foreword to the 2016 post-Synodal apostolic exhortation of Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), he said: “I am always touched to see young people who love each other and have the courage to transform their love into something great. I want to love you until death do us part — what an extraordinary promise.”

He then went on to cite the Holy Scripture, Genesis 2:24 — “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife to become one flesh,” and Mark 10.8 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

It is my guess that such unabashed romanticism and Pope Francis’ outgoing personality did not appeal to the sensibilities of conservatives in the Church hierarchy who longed for a Pope who would be more circumspect about such topics and stand fast, clearly and unequivocally, on various heretofore sacrosanct issues of the Catholic Church, which perhaps they felt were threatened by Pope Francis’ proclivity to spontaneous interactions and direct engagement with the crowds.

With such hard shoes to fill and expectations to live up to, enter now Pope Leo XIV. It will be interesting to see how he will manage the key social issues that have been a turn-off for some Catholics who have drifted from their faith.

Pope Leo XIV is apparently known to be more reserved and measured, which would seem to make him less accessible. He has expressed concerns about Western social media promoting beliefs at odds with the Gospel which some view as less progressive. He prefers structured decision-making and careful governance instead of spontaneous on-the-spot interactions with crowds. He has reportedly expressed concerns about gender studies in schools that could cause confusion among the youth.

However, like Pope Francis on the rights of immigrants, Pope Leo XIV’s missionary background will surely be as pronounced and he is expected to take an opposing stance to the current wave of most Western countries’ anti-immigrant policies, interestingly putting him directly at odds with fellow American, President Trump.

There are also several other apparent similarities to the thinking of Pope Francis. He will be steadfast on the commitment to social justice for migrants, the poor and the marginalized communities. He will probably expand the push of Pope Francis for greater participation in the synodal processes of the Church. He will continue to promote greater dialogue with other religions fostering peace and unity. And lastly, but perhaps the most pressing for the future of tomorrow, he will likely be as keen as Pope Francis was on environmental stewardship.

All told, the heart of humanity will continue to be in good hands. Habemus Papam! Alleluia!

Until next week… OBF!

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