Opening Prayer. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among all women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Hail Mary most pure.
Last year’s course I wanted to dedicate to some figures from the history of the Church, especially from the first millennium up to the 10th century. Why? Because the situation of the Church and the world was so complex that it seemed useful to me to show concrete examples of how, in situations never identical but similar, there have been people who have known how to follow the Lord and reach holiness: how one can walk on water even when the sea is stormy.
The last meditation from last year’s course took place in the context of the death of a Pope, Francis, and the election of a new Pope, Leo XIV. That meditation was dedicated to speaking about what we could know about him at that time. One thing is biography and another is seeing where he’s heading, what his soul is like and how he wants to govern the Church.
I want to start this first meditation by continuing that thread. Since May 8, almost six months have passed; we know more than in the first days. More than data, I’m interested in how a Catholic should live this moment with the arrival of a new Pope, and how a pastor should live it. How should laypeople and pastors live this different situation? I don’t say better or worse, but different from the one we had before, which in turn was different when, to everyone’s surprise, Benedict XVI resigned.
Traits of Pope Leo XIV Beyond the Biography
He is American. Not all Americans are the same, just as not all Spaniards or Colombians are; but there are common traits. He is an American also marked by Latin America: he lived many years as a missionary priest and then as a bishop in Peru. That has imprinted a character on him, without erasing his American roots.
He doesn’t fit the stereotype of the “white, blond, and blue-eyed.” In his blood there is a mix: on his mother’s side, possibly Creole ancestors, with Hispanic descent. He is a typical American in the sense of being the son of immigrants who made their way with difficulties in new land and language. That fact helps to understand his personality.
He has a good formation, especially in Canon Law: licensed and doctorate. Being a canonist marks: a profound respect for the law and its fulfillment. The law can be changed—and the Pope can do so within limits—but it cannot be disregarded. Change it, but don’t disregard it.
He has had experience in governance: he was superior general of the Augustinians. A general knows the world, travels, faces problems of religious life today: aging, closure of convents, crisis linked to the abuses of a few. All this has made him a man of governance.
Later he was bishop in Chiclayo (Peru), where he is very beloved: the affection of the people indicates that he did well. During the pandemic, he went out with the monstrance, alone and at a distance from those accompanying him, to carry the Most Blessed Sacrament through the streets. It shows faith, love for the Eucharist, and courage. Many churches closed; he went out with the Most Blessed Sacrament.
He has experience of the curia: two years as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. Little time, but enough to know something about how things work in the Vatican.
More deeply, I perceive that he is a deeply religious man, marked by the spirituality of St. Augustine: he quotes him continually and has said that he will remain Augustinian all his life. He is aware of the Church’s problems and synthesizes them in three ideas:
- Christ at the center. If Christ is not at the center, the fundamental problem—the loss of faith—does not disappear.
- Unity of the Church. Christ at the center and all united. He recognizes that the Church is divided—not into two, but into many groups—and he proposes to work for unity. But unity cannot be a political pact of mutual concessions where truth is the victim.
- Mission. He is a missionary: he was a missionary in Peru as a priest and as a bishop. Aware of the decline—fall in practice, closure of churches and convents, drop in vocations—he wants to launch the Church toward mission. But there is no mission without unity, nor evangelization without Christ first, the Master who teaches. No one can “correct” the Son of God.
He has recovered the title of “Vicar of Christ.” He is not the superior of Christ, but his vicar: the first servant of the message, charged with confirming the brethren in the faith. The sheep belong to Christ, not to the priest, the bishop, or the Pope.
Our Attitude: Believers, Not Ideologues
What should laypeople and pastors do in this moment? Approach the Pope and the Church with a believer’s perspective, not an ideological one. Ideology—being “conservative” or “liberal”—colors the glasses and deforms the gaze, pushes one to focus only on what one doesn’t like and to attribute malice to the other.
The correct perspective: “I am Catholic. I believe in God. I believe that Jesus Christ is God.” From there, trust in God. “Who am I to judge?” is well understood: I judge acts, not persons; the interior is judged by God. I trust in God, the pilot of the Church’s ship, who loves her infinitely more than we do and does not abandon her, no matter how turbulent the recent past has been.
That trust generates humility: I won’t understand everything. Governing a divided Church spread throughout the world is extremely difficult. Let’s give the Pope the benefit of the doubt. The risk today is that every Catholic becomes a “superpope,” demanding that the Pope account for every decision to every faithful. That is impossible and destructive.
Trust in God does not exclude criticism; it demands it when necessary, but without servility. Obedience is not servility. I cannot accept anything that contradicts Christ: the Pope is the first witness of the faith, not the owner of the faith. One can say “in this I think he is wrong” without disrespect.
The Virgin, Model of Charity and Unity
Let’s think of the Virgin before a primitive Church also divided (Jews and Gentiles). What does a mother do when her children confront each other? She unites. She doesn’t sow discord. If she corrects, she does so with love. We lack this: we say true things without love, and then we destroy.
A mother highlights the positive in the absent one and, if she must correct, does so in private and with affection. Thus we should speak of the Pope: see the good he does each week, even if there are things we don’t agree with. Don’t keep the weapons always loaded.
Examples and Prudence
Amoris laetitia had many extraordinary things and a discussed point that gave rise to abuses. We cannot look through dark glasses and shoot at everything. We live in a climate of “ecclesial civil war”; it is necessary to preach peace and lower the weapons, without ceasing to say—with love—what needs to be said.
Communicative prudence is also needed in the Pope: improvised press conferences are risky for someone who represents hundreds of millions. It is reasonable to think and review responses on very serious matters before pronouncing them.
Conclusion: Faith, Humility, Charity
Approach the Pope and the Church as believers: trust in God; benefit of the doubt to the Pope; criticism when necessary, without servility and with charity. God has placed this man at the head of the Church; he is deeply religious, loves Jesus Christ, and seeks unity. The risk is a “political” unity that sacrifices truth; that’s why we must pray, speak with love, and see the good that is done.
This week, for example, there has been a magnificent message before the President of the Italian Republic in defense of the family; a clear affirmation that synodality cannot touch the authority of the bishop (and, consequently, of the parish priest); and a message on hunger in the world. If I only focus on the bad, I sicken the soul and arrogate a superiority that doesn’t belong to me.
Let’s approach with faith and charity. If there is something to say, let’s say it with love.
Closing Prayer. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among all women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary most pure.