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The election as Pope of Robert Prevost (now Leo XIV) is the result that left a conclave in which 133 cardinals decided between continuing with Francisco’s line, deepening their reforms towards a more liberal church, or turning a turn to a more conservative.
It is very soon to know where the new Pope will lead that is perhaps the largest institution in the world.
But his first gestures as a pontiff and his career give some clues. Especially, they show their affinity with Francisco’s legacy, which could mean that it will give continuity to some of its reforms.
In his first speech as a pontiff, Prevost said: “The weak but always brave voice of Pope Francis still resonates in our ears, who blessed Rome.”
“Let me continue with that same blessing,” he added.
That affectionate mention contrasts, for example, with the homily of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re during the ceremony prior to Tuesday’s conclave, in which he did not mention the late Pope, which for some experts was a show of distance.
Social justice
The coincidences of the new Pope with his predecessor have to do with his sensitivity and his commitment to social justice, poor and migrants.
The priest John Lydon, who was a roommate of the new Pope, described the BBC as someone “very worried about the poor.”
For his part, Mark Francis, a priest friend of the new Pope since the 70s, told the Reuters agency that Leo XIV is a firm defender of his predecessor, especially his commitment to social justice.
In addition, León and Francisco have in common that they reached the top of the Catholic hierarchy after working most of their life in Latin America: León in Peru and Francisco in Argentina.
And it was Francisco who appointed Prevost as bishop of the Peruvian city of Chiclayo in 2015, as a cardinal in 2023 and who took him to Rome to lead the dicascery for bishops.
Even in the Premost X account, his profile photo is with Pope Francis.
Jesús León Ángeles, coordinator of a Catholic group in Chiclayo, told the Reuters agency that Prevost showed a special concern to help Venezuelan migrants arriving in Peru fleeing from the crisis in their country.
Migrants and the USA
In a sample of his position on migration, the new Pope recently repossed a publication in the social network X that criticized the deportation of Kilmar Abrego García, the Salvadoran that has become a symbol after the administration of Donald Trump admitted that he deported him by mistake.
Since his X account, he has also republished criticism against the US Vice President, JD Vance, as an article by National Catholic Reporter entitled “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus does not ask us to hierarchy our love for others.”
These criticisms go in line with the positions that Francisco expressed to the US bishops before he died.
In a February letter, the late Pope pointed out to disagree with any measure that “identifies tacitly or explicitly the illegal situation of some migrants with crime.”
Now criticism will have a particular resonance coming from the first American Pope.
But despite the apparent ideological disagreements, Trump and Vance celebrated the appointment of Leo XIV.
And his name as a pontiff also anticipates what his priorities will be, as he evokes past potatoes who were also known for their social commitment, such as Leo XIII, who wrote an influential treaty on workers’ rights.
LGBT, climate change and the role of women
They are still unclear, however, their positions on the LGBT community.
At the time, he supported Francisco’s decision to allow blessings to same -sex couples, but also said that bishops should interpret those directives in accordance with local contexts and cultures.
On climate change, he said last year that it was time to spend “from words to action”, and has even supported concrete measures such as installing solar panels in the Vatican or using electric cars.
Leo XIV also supported Francisco’s decision to allow women to join Dicastery for bishops and in this regard he pointed out in an interview that “we have seen that their point of view is an enrichment.”
However, it does not support that they be ordered as priests.
From this Thursday, the world will have positions in Leo XIV to finish deciphering the course towards which it will seek to take to the Church.
Although, as the sociologist Francisco Borba Ribeiro explained, one cannot think about the process of succession of the Pope as a matter of lines or parties, the coincidences of León and Francisco are evident.
And, therefore, the decision of the conclave can be seen as a triumph for Francisco’s church, closer to the poor and migrants, but shy in inclusion to women and the LGBT community.
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