What do people want to see most from Pope Leo XIV, the new leader of the Catholic Church?
The restoration and upholding of Church traditions: Some view Pope Leo XIV's appointment with cautious optimism, believing he will work to restore Church traditions.
The continuation of Pope Francis’s progressive work within the Church: Some believe Pope Leo will continue the late Pope Francis’s efforts to depart from Church traditions that they view as oppressive or exclusionary.
A focus on practical issues and bridging divisions within the Church and beyond: Pope Leo has a track record of leadership and practical execution, and the Church is in great need of such leadership.
Pay more attention to sexual abuse crimes within the Church: Based on his history and the history of the Vatican, some believe it’s unfortunately unlikely that Pope Leo XIV will do much to solve one of the Church’s biggest problems – allegations of sexual abuse against clergy members.
Stance 1: Hopeful he’ll work to restore and uphold Church traditions
Core Argument: Some believe the late Pope Francis strayed too far from the Church’s norms and want Pope Leo XIV to reverse that trend.
Supporting Arguments
- Pope Leo has historically opposed the teaching of gender ideology in schools and criticized the Western media for “promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships.”
- Prevost’s choice to utilize the pontifical name Leo and reinstate the traditional papal mozzetta that Francis refused to wear is taken by some to be a sign that he plans to depart from the reformist nature of his predecessor.
- Leo has said that the “homosexual lifestyle” is “at odds with the gospel.”
- Some think the new pope should concentrate “more on Catholic issues, such as pro-life and family, rather than climate change and immigration.”
- The new pope has historically been opposed to allowing women to serve as deacons in the church.
- Pope Leo XIV is pro-life; in 2015, he said on social media that we should “defend human life at all times!”
- Shortly after becoming pope, Leo XIV said that "no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike."
- Pope Francis’ update to the Catholic Church Catechism teaching against capital punishment is in error, and should be reversed.
Stance 2: Hopeful he’ll continue Pope Francis’s progressive work within the Church
Core Argument: The late Pope Francis was working to make the Catholic Church more welcoming and inclusive, and Pope Leo XIV will continue those efforts.
Supporting Arguments
- Pope Leo XIV has been critical of some of JD Vance and the Trump administration’s conservative policies, and has proven likely to challenge “America First” policies.
- He indicated there will need to be a “new understanding or different understanding of leadership, power, authority and service” in the church, in 2023.
- In 2017 after the Las Vegas shooting, Pope Leo retweeted a post from a Democratic senator saying, "Your cowardice to act cannot be whitewashed by thoughts and prayers," in reference to gun control legislation.
- The new pope has openly criticized nationalist political movements, calling for the opening of borders, breaking down of walls, and the dispelling of hatred.
- By taking the name Leo XIV, many point to the potential influence of Leo XIII during the industrial revolution surrounding workers’ rights and helping the working class.
Stance 3: Hopeful he’ll work to solve practical issues and bridge divisions within the Church and beyond
Core Argument: Pope Leo has a track record of leadership and practical execution, and the Church is in great need of such leadership and unity.
Supporting Arguments
- Pope Leo is seen as an excellent leader who has a good chance at uniting the church around Jesus' teachings of love, at a time when Catholicism is becoming less popular.
- Some think Leo XIV will seek to bridge the divide between conservative and progressive factions within the church.
- “As a Chicago-born math major, canon lawyer and two-time superior of his global Augustinian religious order, the 69-year-old pope presumably can read a balance sheet and make sense of the Vatican’s complicated finances.”
- Pope Leo’s attentiveness to the issue of artificial intelligence (AI) “shows he is a church leader who grasps the gravity of this modern concern” and is attuned to modern issues.
- Pope Leo is making strides to engage with growing regions like Africa, which speaks to his attempts to fight institutional decline in the west and global south.
Stance 4: Worried he won’t do enough to fix sexual abuse issues within the Church
Core Argument: Some are concerned that Leo XIV’s past actions—and the systemic failures of the Church—signal that real accountability for sexual abuse within the church is still unlikely.
Supporting Arguments
- Leo XIV was previously accused of failing to “properly investigate” sexual abuse allegations against clergy members.
- “I wanted to root for the new pope who grew up just a few miles from me in Illinois. But his role in the Catholic hierarchy's century-long campaign of organized crime against children made me hesitate.”
- Previous popes have done little to solve the issue of sexual abuse within the Church.
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