Habemus Papam! After a four-round conclave, the 133-member College of Cardinals elected U.S. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who has taken the name Pope Leo XIV. And as successor to the late Pope Francis, whose pastoral work opened the church to all, Leo has some big shoes to fill.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, the 69-year-old pontiff was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru by Francis in 2015 and granted Peruvian citizenship before he was made cardinal in 2023. He then served as prefect for the Dicastery of Bishops in the Vatican and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Compared to more prominent papabili like the Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, or Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle — who seemed to be the internet’s favorite — Leo is a dark horse. The New York Times describes him as a moderate, which may be underwhelming following the boundary-pushing leadership of Francis.
The new pope is less welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community, stating in 2012 that Western pop culture fostered “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel,” according to The New York Times.
But if you’re a progressive Catholic, not all hope is lost.
His X feed gives a glimpse of where he stands on other issues. In his latest posts, dated February 2025, he shared articles criticizing the U.S. government’s immigration policies and Vice President JD Vance’s leadership. Quoting an op-ed from the National Catholic Reporter, Leo wrote, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
In 2020, he reshared the post of Arlington Bishop Michael Francis Burbidge, who commented on the killing of George Floyd by police. “May all hatred, violence, and prejudice be eradicated so that we may live in harmony and in the peace of Our Lord Jesus,” wrote Burbidge.
In 2018, he also reshared a post by Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich, who said, “There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages.”
While he has addressed concerns in the U.S. quite decisively, we don’t know where he stands yet on bigger global issues. The hope now is that Leo’s papacy will continue Francis’ pastoral work.
In his first speech as pope on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo said in Italian, “We have to look together how to be a missionary Church, building bridges [and] dialogue, always open to receiving with open arms for everyone, like [St. Peter’s] square, open to all, to all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.”
