Habemus tabii ...
Friends, our new Holy Father is Pope Leo XIV!
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) May 8, 2025
Born and raised in Chicago, Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1981.
The first-ever American pope, Prevost served most recently as the… pic.twitter.com/JrTPDBZ6F5
The first-ever American pope, Prevost served most recently as the head of the Church’s Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Please join me in praying for Pope Leo!
Ed: I hope everyone will pray for his success. While past is predicate, the elevation to pope means we should expect to be surprised at times by Pope Leo XIV.
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His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977, a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and both a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. His doctoral thesis was on “The role of the local prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.”
Aged 69, he is closely aligned with Pope Francis’ vision regarding the late pope’s pastoral priorities, especially regarding environmentalism, outreach to the poor and migrants, and a pastoral approach that emphasizes meeting people where they are. He has publicly stated that bishops should not act as “little princes sitting in their kingdoms.”
Ed: This choice is such a surprise that there hasn't been much written about Robert Cardinal Prevost before today. My earlier thread covered pretty much all we know, but it probably won't be long before we get a sense of where Pope Leo XIV will lead the Catholic Church in the next few years. One point that did come up: he is known for taking care when speaking to choose words carefully and with precision.
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Does not surprise me that he did not speak in English. He’s letting the world know he’s a safe American! He’s the world’s pope, not the U.S. pope.
— Kathryn Jean Lopez (@kathrynlopez) May 8, 2025
Ed: Exactly, but there's another reason -- Pope Leo XIV is also the Bishop of Rome, the basis of his authority. He spoke in Italian because that's the language of his church. He will have plenty of opportunities to speak in English -- and Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German, all of which he speaks.
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Newly elected Pope Leo XIV spent years amplifying criticism of President Trump’s policies on social media — with the Catholic Church’s first American leader taking particular aim at the Republican’s hard-line immigration stance.
Leo XIV, until Thursday known as Robert Francis Prevost, 69, shared or retweeted the opinions of colleagues using his verified account @drprevost on X, formerly known as Twitter.
His final X post before being elected by the Conclave in the Sistine Chapel was a retweet of a message from Philadelphia-based Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo, who on April 14 slammed Trump’s partnership with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele on deportation of illegal migrants.
Ed:Those are criticisms that any pontiff would likely make of American policy. John Paul II and Benedict XVI were both critical of American policies on security and immigration, the environment, etc.
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President Trump made a surprise appearance outside the White House today to comment on Pope Leo XIV. He's delighted that the pope is American.
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) May 8, 2025
"What greater honor could there be? We were a little bit surprised, but very happy. But just a great, absolutely great honor." pic.twitter.com/rQTHnU6F9q
Ed: Smart take by Trump. He might take the political bait at some point, but this is the correct course to steer. I suspect the Vatican will want to steer clear of politics for the moment too.
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Ed: This is pretty sweet. I just stumbled across it a few moments ago. Imagine having your little brother become Pope.
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SCOOP: Our Turning Point Action team pulled the voting history for Pope Leo XIV.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 8, 2025
He's a registered Republican who has voted in Republican primaries when not living abroad.
Our data shows he's a strong Republican, and he's pro-life. pic.twitter.com/q9q6hiokiH
Ed: I mentioned this earlier, but the pattern is broader and longer than we thought. Still. don't read too much into it, as local and state politics may not matter a lot to a pontiff in Rome.
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Leo signaled continuity with the inclusive spirit of Francis’ pontificate, stressing the importance of “synodality,” or gatherings of bishops and dialogue with laypeople to discuss the major challenges facing the church. That practice, promoted under Francis, caused much anxiety among conservative Catholics.
Pope Leo’s speech signaled the desire for continuity with the late Pope Francis, who pushed for a more open and global church.
Ed: I'm not much of a fan of the faddish pursuit of 'synodality' when it comes to doctrinal matters. In terms of practices, there's more room for input, but the laity -- especially in America -- already has a little too much self-entitlement. The American heresy of the 19th century and the laity's embrace of quasi-congregationalism is a problem to be resolved, not an impulse to be further incentivized.
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The Catholic Church can hold an entire Pope campaign and announce the winner in less time than it takes California just to count their ballots.
— Stephen Green (@VodkaPundit) May 8, 2025
Ed: True ... but the Vatican requires in-person voting and paper ballots, too. Maybe we should all learn a lesson from that.
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Leo's third clue was in his choice of attire.
Unlike Francis, who spurned all the trappings of the papacy including on the first day he was elected in 2013, Leo wore a traditional red papal garment over his white cassock.
Although Leo follows in the tradition of Francis, he signalled he is a new, and different, pope.
Ed: Larry O'Connor and I noticed that; it comes up in our conversation below. It's an interesting signal. Joshua McElwee is an experienced Vaticanista, so he's attuned to these matters. He sees the choice of regnant name as hearkening back to Leo XIII's defense of workers, but Leo XIII also fought against the currents of collectivism too. G.K. Chesterton's distributism owes much to Leo XIII's expositions on economics.
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...My personal to-do list for Pope Leo XIV:
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 8, 2025
1. Declare that there is no pizza but Chicago deep-pan pizza.
2. Create an papal indulgence for a first-round draft pick by the Bears.
3. Declare ketchup on hotdogs as mortal sin.
4. Bar any Cardinals from playing at Wrigley.
5.…
Ed: Maybe he'll order that the Cubs only play the Padres and the Angels at Wrigley throughout his pontificate. And Da Bears can only play the Saints while in Soldier Field.
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Congrats to Cardinal Prevost. Who has the very real chance to be the first elected official from Illinois not to end his term in office by beginning a jail term.
— Casey Mattox (@CaseyMattox_) May 8, 2025
Ed: That's the Chicago way, all due respect to Sean Connery.
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Ed: Finally, Larry O'Connor will take the final Final Word tonight. Larry and I had a great conversation for nearly an hour on the election of Pope Leo XIV. Hope you enjoy it!
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