I was not expecting to see white smoke today, nor was I expected that an American prelate would walk out in papal garb as our new pope. Both happened, however. The Cardinal Electors chose Robert Francis Prevost as the next Bishop of Rome, and he has chosen the name Leo.

Papal names are telling, as they often indicate the direction a new pope intends to take during his pontificate. When a pope assumes the name of one or more previous popes, he indicates that he intends to emulate one or more of them. There were thirteen popes by the name of Leo before Prevost took that name. Perhaps in a later post I’ll discuss the notable ones. For now, suffice it to say that the most recent was Leo XIII, born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci. He reigned from 1878 to 1903, and his papacy is remembered for its emphasis on social teaching. Leo XIII wrote the famous encyclical Rerum Novarum,1 which discusses the rights of both capital and labor. It is a rebuke of both socialism and capitalism. If Prevost had Leo XIII in mind when he chose his regnal name, then we can expect an emphasis on social teaching.

Another early sign of how he intends to reign is his decision to wear the mozzetta. Pope Francis, who preferred to emphasize simplicity during his pontificate, chose to omit it. At the risk of reading too much into it, Leo XIV’s decision to wear it indicates a return to the more traditional pomp and circumstance which, in my humble opinion, is proper to the high office of Supreme Pontiff.

There are number of brilliant winks of providence involved in Pope Leo’s election, the second two of which at least others have pointed out as well. First, Leo XIII admired the United States,2 so it is fitting that Leo XIV should be an American. Second, Leo XIV is a native of Illinois, as was Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, whose birthday is today. Third, today is the Feast of the Apparition of St. Michael, which is significant because Leo XIII wrote the St. Michael Prayer.3

I’ve only just begun to get used to the fact that he’s an American. The Pope is the universal pastor of the faithful and the local pastor of Rome. He is not the pastor of his native country. Nevertheless, I cannot help but feel patriotic today that the first American has been elected as Pope. It’s not that I was hoping that an American would someday be elected Pope, but now that an American has been made Pope, I cannot but feel some national pride. It shows the progress of Catholicism in the United States. In his letter to the American prelates, Leo XIII wrote, “For Our part We have left nothing undone, as far as circumstances permitted, to preserve and more solidly establish amongst you the Catholic religion.”4 Now we have a pope from the United States.

I know that everyone who thinks they know anything about Pope Leo XIV seems to have a take on him. Will he be conservative or liberal? Traditionalist or progressive? Pro-TLM or anti-TLM? Francis 2.0 or not? For the most part, I’ve tried to avoid that. The election of a new Pope should not be a time to say that “my side” won or lost, that “my views” prevailed or failed. The election of a new Pope should be a time of rejoicing. Habemus papam! At the same time, the election of a new Pope should be a time of prayer. Whatever you think of the new Pope, he needs our prayers. The Holy Father led the faithful in the Hail Mary. Following this example, let us entrust this pontificate to Our Lady, Queen of the Church. 

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst woman,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
  1. Leo XIII, “Rerum Novarum,” vatican.va, Holy See, 15 May 1891, https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html ↩︎
  2. Leo XIII, “Longinqua,” vatican.va, Holy See, 6 Jan. 1895, https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_06011895_longinqua.html ↩︎
  3. “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, o prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world, seeking the ruin and destruction of souls.” ↩︎
  4. Leo XIII, “Longinqua,” par. 7 ↩︎

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