Habemus Papam!

As I’m sure you’re all aware, we have a new pope: Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A. Although somewhat of a dark horse candidate, before the conclave he was seen as a potential “compromise” choice. However, his election on only the 4th ballot makes it hard to see that being the case; many Cardinals must have had him in mind before the doors were locked.

To learn more about our new pope, check out the College of Cardinals Report dossier on him here.

First and foremost, we must offer our prayers and penances for our new Holy Father. Whether he was your choice or not, he is now the successor to St. Peter and the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. We don’t have the right to deny him our prayers.

Second, we must give Pope Leo XIV the benefit of the doubt as he begins his pontificate. Back in 2023, I wrote that Francis had lost such a benefit, but that was only because a decade of scandals had removed all doubt about his pontificate. That is not the case with Leo XIV. His pontificate has just begun, and so we must allow him a fresh start and be willing to interpret charitably his words and actions as far as we can. 

People will want to analyze his first appearance on the loggia, but we should not read too much into anything he said at that moment. I’m sure the weight of the office was bearing down on him, although I did notice he looked far more comfortable in his first appearance than did his immediate predecessor, Pope Francis. 

It would be spiritually unhealthy to nitpick his every word in his first days as pontiff, trying to divine his orthodoxy or his plan for the Church from a three-minute address. Nor should we examine his history trying to find something “wrong” with him. Today’s 24-hour news and social media cycle pushes us in that direction, but let’s allow the new Holy Father time to fill the shoes of the fisherman.

Or perhaps people want to overanalyze his choice of the papal name “Leo.” Does he see it as continuity with Pope Leo XIII or Pope Leo the Great or did he just like the name? Let’s not worry about that and let him explain when the time is right.

Catholics must firmly believe that God gives special graces to the occupant of the Petrine Office. It’s true that not all popes have faithfully accepted those graces, but we pray that Leo XIV would hear the Holy Spirit and respond to His call.

At the same time, I’ve been beating the anti-hyperpapalist drum for years now, so I’m not saying we need to “popesplain” every statement the new pope makes, either. We don’t believe popes can’t make mistakes, even serious ones, so if, God forbid, Pope Leo XIV were to cause any scandal by leading people astray, we stick to the Catholic Faith as it has been handed on to us for centuries. The pope is the servant of the Deposit of Faith, not its master, and so we always cling to that sacred Deposit first and foremost.

Another thing to remember: style of governance matters. One of the biggest criticisms of Pope Francis was that he was a “dictator pope,” seemingly running the Church according to his personal whims. So even if the new pope is closely aligned with Francis in ideology (although we shouldn’t assume anything yet), he may run the Church in a very different manner. I know many conservative and traditional Catholics who would be content if Rome were to just leave them alone. 

I am hopeful for the future of the Catholic Church, even in the midst of our decades-long crisis. Many young people are embracing the fullness of our tradition; they have a fervor and love for the Faith that is deeply encouraging. Let us pray that Pope Leo XIV will shepherd us to a true renewal in the Church, and ask God to give him the grace to do so.