Peter Espeut | A Pope for our times

The conclave was surprisingly short!

A super-majority of two-thirds-plus-one was obtained after only four rounds of voting. Pope Francis was elected after five rounds of voting. In 1978 Pope John Paul II was elected on the eighth ballot.

I say this swift outcome is especially surprising because of the 133 cardinal electors from 65 countries, 108 (80 per cent) were relatively recent appointees of Pope Francis, and could not be expected to know each other very well. In papal elections there is no campaigning, no manifestos, and no nomination process, and so locking 133 potential popes in conclave (con=with, clavis=key) needing a super-majority could be a long process.

This underscores the importance of the daily General Congregations prior to the conclave where the Cardinals frankly analyse among themselves the state of the Church, discuss the problems she faces, and the possible solutions. That is where cardinal electors really get to know each other; so that when voting begins, the process of discernment will have already advanced.

It is said that prior to the 2013 conclave, it was his intervention at one of the General Congregations that inspired the support received by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, the first pope from the Third World and the Americas. As Pope Francis he began a process to transform the way the clergy exercise authority in the Church, resulting in push-back from many of the old school, set in the old ways that Francis condemned as “clericalism”..

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to hear the intervention by the quiet man from Chicago via Peru that would have consolidated prayerful support for Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost OSA.

He came to the conclave with a resume showing proven leadership ability. A member of the Order of St. Augustine (founded in 1244 AD), he was elected worldwide head of that missionary organisation for two consecutive terms; he would have made his mark in Rome at that time.

NOTED ACADEMIC

He is also a noted academic; it was while he was preparing his doctoral thesis in Canon Law that he was sent to the Augustinian mission in Chulucanas, Peru. After successfully defending his thesis he served as Professor of Canon Law, Patristics, and Moral Theology at the Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Trujillo in Peru. At the same time, he was also entrusted with the pastoral care of a Catholic parish in a poor suburb of the city.

Recognising his strong leadership ability, in 2018 Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru. The Holy Father also called on him to serve in the Vatican bureaucracy – in the dicastery (ministry) that recommends the selection of new bishops to the pope for appointment, and which supervises bishops worldwide.

In 2023 – just two years ago – Pope Francis brought him to Rome as head (Prefect) of that dicastery, and elevated him to the rank of Cardinal. Francis also appointed him to sit on seven other dicasteries, including Evangelization, the Eastern Churches, the Doctrine of the Faith, Culture and Education, and the governance of the Vatican City State. Good leaders recognize leadership ability of others, and engage in succession planning. Pope Leo comes into the job with inside knowledge and personal experience of how the Vatican bureaucracy works, and is well placed to continue the administrative reforms initiated by his predecessor..

As Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, he participated in the Pope’s most recent Apostolic Journeys and in the recent Roman synod sessions in 2023 and 2024 on Synodality, which has the potential to make earth-shattering changes in church governance.

BECAME LEADER

As last Thursday Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, he took the name Leo – the fourteenth pontiff with that name. The last Pope who took that name – Leo XIII (1878-1903) – was the founder of modern Catholic Social Teaching. In 1888 he unequivocally condemned slavery, reinforcing the doctrines of his predecessors.

In 1891 he issued a document entitled New Things ( Rerum Novarum in Latin) wherein he condemned the secular materialism of capitalism, socialism and communism. In Rerum Novarum he outlined the rights of workers to a fair wage and safe working conditions. At a time when Marxists were the main organizers of trades unions, Leo XIII defended the rights of workers to unionise. At the same time, he affirmed the right to private property (not understood in Capitalist terms) and free enterprise.

Leo XIII became known as the “Pope of the Workers”; his thought has become the foundation of modern Catholic Social Teaching, especially about “The Third Way” between capitalism and socialism. The choice by Cardinal Prevost to be named Leo XIV is tantalising in what it promises.

Many analyse that the return of President Donald Trump spouting his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) mantra has led to victory at the polls in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Germany and Greenland by strong leaders elected to handle him. Some might suggest that the election of Cardinal Prevost fits into that analysis.

Cardinal Prevost has been a frequent critic of Trump policies on immigration, human rights, and the environment. The new Pope has a history of support for racial justice and against capital punishment. Cardinal Prevost has challenged US Vice-President Vance – a convert to Catholicism just six years ago – over his use of his newfound faith to justify Trump’s crackdown on migrants. “Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” he wrote.

Within hours of his election, the MAGAverse gunned for the new pontiff: “WOKE MARXIST POPE,” tweeted far-right activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer, who also called Leo “just another Marxist puppet in the Vatican.” Pope Francis received similar criticisms.

Heady days for the Catholic Church. In this Jubilee Year of Hope the ascendancy of Leo XIV to the Chair of St. Peter is pregnant with possibilities.

Peter Espeut is a development scientist and Roman Catholic deacon. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com