Pope Leo XIV

“The world's great age begins anew, the golden years return…”

The white smoke poured out just a little bit after 6pm, meaning that a new Pope had been elected after a mere four ballots – one last night, two this morning, and one this afternoon, the last giving the winning candidate two thirds of the votes. A very swift election, which is surprising, given just how divided the Church and the College of Cardinals have been thought to be. But most elections in the modern era have been swift affairs. Five ballots is more or less normal for a modern Pope. But does this mean the favourite has been elected? And who was the favourite anyway? Six or seven names were endlessly circulated: Cardinals Parolin, Tagle, Zuppi, Aveline, Pizzaballa and Grech, along with longer shots like the little known Mamberti and even the American Dolan, from New York, President Trump’s choice.

The white smoke came, and with it the cheers of the crowd which swelled within minutes to thousands; after them came the Swiss Guards and the band of the Carabinieri, ready to play the anthems of Italy and the Vatican when the new Pontiff steps out onto the balcony. And everywhere there are flags of all nations, and endless cries of ‘Viva il Papa!’ His name is not yet known, yet he is already loved and longed for. The Pope is the Universal Father, after all, and a papal election has this mythic element: it represents the eternal return: a Pope dies, a Pope is made, and we are never orphans for long. “The world's great age begins anew, the golden years return…”

The Italian national anthem is Fratelli d’Italia, brothers of Italy, beautiful words that have never been realised in the fractious world of Italy. The band also plays the music of the anthem Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat: Christ wins, Christ reigns, Christ rules – again an unrealised prayer, for the loved Christ has never been truly obeyed. But we live in hope. And when a new Pope is elected, the prayers and the aspirations seem almost possible. It is moment of hope. And hope for all, because hope transcends religious faith.

After watching for the white smoke, it is watching the balcony for the Cardinal Proto-Deacon to come out and make the announcement of ‘Habemus Papam.’ During the wait, 132 Cardinals are swearing allegiance to the new Pope; the Pope himself has been dressed in the white cassock in the ‘room of tears’.

At just before quarter past seven comes the announcement: an American, Robert Prevost, from Chicago, who served two decades as a missionary bishop in Peru. He has taken the name of Leo XIV. The crowd shout ‘Leone! Leone! Leone!’ The new Pope is an Augustinian friar. Out onto the balcony he steps. The crowd is ecstatic.

His name has been mentioned before now as a favourite of those who want continuity with Pope Francis’s pontificate. There is no doubt that the new Pope represents continuity with his predecessor- those who wanted a change of direction are not going to get it. But perhaps only fifteen or so Cardinals wanted a reverse of the previous Pope. This is not the unFrancis many wanted.

Pope Leo’s first words are about peace; that is very much the Pope Francis theme; though you would have to go back to Julius II, who died in 1515 and who actually led his troops into battle, for a less than peaceful Pope. We all love peace, don’t we?

At the same time, Pope Leo, right at the start, makes clear that he is a Pope of unity, with some strong signals to the more conservative wing of the Church. He wore the mozzetta, the red shoulder cape and stole, which Pope Francis did not, though every Pope before him did. He spoke good clear Italian, without much of an accent, and he spoke too in Spanish and mentioned his former diocese in Peru. This represents a claiming of roots. He is a missionary. Likewise his reference to Saint Augustine, whose spiritual son he is, a saint revered for his intellect, and whose work is still referenced, and read, today. Is he signalling that he is an intellectual as well? And then, most important of all, is the name: Leo XIV recalls Leo XIII, Pope from 1878 to 1903, a most important pontiff, who urged reconciliation with the world and an abandonment of the fortress Church mentality; the Pope who is the founder of the tradition of Catholic social teaching, a tradition that was greatly enhanced by John Paul II. Leo XIII was a Pope who made tremendous difference in the Church and in the world, one who healed many wounds left by the predecessor Pius IX, the Pope who lost the Papal States and refused to accept Italian unity. Will Leo XIV be a Pope of conciliation? Is that what the name is signalling?

Finally, the new Pope mentioned three important things: Rome, Italy, and the Madonna. All Popes should have a strong relation to the city, and to the peninsula. Rome and Italy love the Pope, and they want a Pope who loves them. That is so important, and so important to get right at beginning. And then the Madonna of Pompeii was referenced and invoked, today being the day of 'la supplica' (a special prayer) to the Virgin Mary revered at her shrine near the famous ruined Roman city. That will have gone down very well indeed. The Italians will love him, and take him to himself. He looks good too, something Italians will appreciate. His spectacles recall those of Pope Paul VI, the last but one Italian Pope. In Italy, they will be happy. Now the most important American in the world is theirs!

Pope Leo is from Chicago originally, but there was no reference to that in his opening words. Frankly, Chicago is not the sort of place Catholics want to hear about. The last important cleric from Chicago was Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, who was intimately caught up with the Vatican Bank scandal. Nevertheless, his American nationality is important. The Vatican faces bankruptcy, and the Americans are the ones who are most concerned about this, indeed angry, as for decades they have been treated as a cash cow by the Italians and others who have run the Roman Curia, and they have felt little appreciated. An American in charge means a new financial broom, something that is long overdue. This really could be the end of the Italian way of doing things.

In addition, Leo is, by Church standards, young, 69 years old. He has two decades ahead of him, perhaps. He has a background in administration and man management, first as the head of the Augustinian order, then later in charge of the Vatican dicastery that appoints bishops. Leo has underlined his role as a missionary, but the Cardinals may have chosen him as an energetic administrator, which was something Francis, as his admirers would admit, was not.