I met the man who would become Pope Leo XIV in October 2023. We were outside the Synodal Room at the Vatican and, by my brief conversation with Cardinal Robert Prevost, I realized that he was a good listener, attentive and had a certain presence.
Our conversation took place in a period near an important Vatican Assembly focused on church reform efforts.
See Christopher Lamb’s account of a meeting with the Pope:
The summit was part of a process of several years started by the late Pope Francis – the Synod – which he extended from his hospital bed as one of the last acts that the ancient Pontiff performed in power.
Within the Great Meeting Salon in 2023, and again in 2024, participants such as PREVOST sat at round tables where everyone had the opportunity to speak for the same time stipulated.
The future Pope, like other cardinals and bishops, interacted with people from around the world, including women. Synodal meetings in the Vatican had never occurred in this style before and, for the first time, included voters who gave opinions on the approval of a final document.
Just half a year later, PREVOST – Now Pope Leo XIV – is no longer one of many participants at the table. He is in charge of the Church and ready to continue conducting this reform process in the same direction.
“He is a very kind, a great listener,” Father Tony Banks told CNN Friend of the new Pope and Assistant General of the Religious Order of St. Augustine. He pointed out that Leo XIV will seek to realize Francis’ reforms “in terms of theology and practice.”
When the new Pope spoke on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, moments after the end of the conclave, he signaled that he would seek to “walk with you as a united church, all seeking peace and justice together, working together as women and men.”
It is likely that Leo XIV continues what Francis began, but with his own and discreet but determined style. Elected at age 69, the new pontiff demonstrates that cardinals want a Pope who institutionalizes these reforms in a papacy that can last several decades.
Among them, we highlight the questions about the role of women, the exercise of power in the hierarchy of the Church and the change to a more missionary church that leaves the comfort zone.
Potential counterweight to trump
Before white smoke rose, the world’s best -known US citizen was President Donald Trump.
Pope Leo XIV, the first in the US, changed it. By choosing Prevost, the cardinals ensured that the papacy is a prophetic voice on the world scene, capable of counteracting trump.
Although Pope Leo XIV is a unifying that does not seem to be looking for fights, its focus on building bridges, dialogue, and support for immigrants contrasts with the Trump government.
During the first speech to the cardinals after the election, Pope Leo promised “total commitment” to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the meeting of bishops from 1962 to 1965 that provided the model to the contemporary church.
He insisted that this meant “loving care with the last and rejected” and “courageous and confident dialogue” with the contemporary world in its various components and realities, including facing the challenge to human dignity that Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents.
Vatican Council II sought to emphasize the church as a voice for the marginalized – a “prophetic voice” – and was particularly welcomed in Central and Latin America, where Leo XIV served for decades.
Father Tony Banks stressed that the new pontiff is “very concerned about social issues and marginalized,” someone close to those who live in the “peripheries.”
The Agostinian Order-for which Prevost was elected to lead for two terms-focuses on building the community.
Posts made on a social network account X under the name of the new Pope, they republished articles and posts that criticized the Trump government’s immigration policy, although those who know Pope Leo XIV say that he is not naturally conflicting.
“I don’t think he’s fighting with people, but it’s not back to retreat either,” said Cardinal Joseph Tobin of New Jersey, who has known Pope Leo XIV for some time as his friend Bob Prevost.
Humble leader
Regarding the most disputed topics within the Church – such as same -sex victories and women’s ordination – the new Pope will adopt a stance rather than bold changes.
In 2012, Prevost gave a speech criticizing “compassion for anti -Christian lifestyle choices” found in the mass media, including same -sex couples and “their adoptive children,” although 11 years later he said that his position had developed “in the sense of the need for the church to open and be welcoming.”
Sister Nathalie Becquart, who works at the Vatican Synodal Office, has been the Pope’s neighbor during her last years of work at the office of episcopal appointments.
She reported to CNN That he is “easy to talk” and is a “very simple and humble person.”
When he was Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, Becquart claims to have guaranteed women to occupy leadership positions in their diocese. Like Francis, it is unlikely that he tries to change the doctrine of the church, but will take a firm position on topics such as migration, peace and environment.
“He is not a man who will say what he is against, he will say what he defends, this is the crucial point about him,” said brother Mark O’Connor, a Catholic journalist who directs the communication of Parramatta’s diocese, Australia.
“He is the opposite of a cultural warrior. I don’t think he believes that fighting for doctrine or even changing the doctrine and talking about dogmatic issues is the way forward,” he said.
As the church enters a new era, a topic it needs to address is clerical sexual abuse.
Considering his time as a former leader of a religious order and mayor of the Vatican office for the bishops, he certainly has experience in dealing with cases of abuse.
One group of victims criticized their conduct of some cases, while the leader of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference praised the Prevost Ministry with abuse survivors.
Leo XIV has a doctorate in Canon Law of the Church, which enables him to ensure that existing ecclesiastical laws are applied to investigate cases and hold leaders responsible.
The new Pope is also credited with playing a crucial role in the repression of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a powerful Peruvian group tormented by allegations of abuse.
Traditional wisdom said it was not possible to have a Pope from the United States. However, with Pope Leo XIV, church leaders have chosen someone who has spent decades working in Latin America and has global experience – often called a citizen of the world.
In a moment of growing divisions, wars and conflicts, the 2025 conclave opened an extraordinary page for the church with the choice of Leo XIV, a pope builder of bridges and discreetly prophetic
This content was originally published in CNN front with Papa Leão XIV: Bridge Builder and a discreet reformer on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
