Leo XIV: Another American, “21st Century” Pope?

By Daniel Rankin

Pope Leo XIV became so last Wednesday, following the second day of a conclave. A dark horse candidate, he surpassed known contenders such as Italian Pietro Parolin, Filipino progressive Luis Antonio Tagle, and Hungarian conservative Péter Erdő. Markedly, his odds of election were between no more than 1-2% in the period since Francis died [1].

Much of the discourse surrounding Pope Leo XIV has concerned the uniqueness of his description “as an American”, and him as being – similar to his predecessor Francis – a modern, “social” – pontiff.

Formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, the Pope is American in more ways than one. He is from Chicago in the United States, making him the second native Anglophone (after Adrian IV of Hertfordshire in 1154) in the post. He is also Peruvian – by citizenship, but specifically to a degree by which his former titles are known – having been Bishop of Chiclayo for the eight years prior to his promotion to cardinal in 2023. The Pope certainly covers multiple bases; continental American, the first North American, has a Latin American connection like his predecessor (Leo arrived in Peru in 1985), and speaks at least five languages [2].

Leo the thirteenth: evocative of the fin-de-siècle?

The names of choice for Popes of the past are always quite notable: for Francis it was that of Assisi; for Benedict it was the WW1-era Pope of the same name; and for John Paul II it was his own predecessor.

Leo the thirteenth is undoubtedly one of the most memorable Popes in history. He was the oldest Pope ever (dying at ninety-three years of age); he was the first in over a thousand years never to be the sovereign of a state; and by some estimations, was the earliest-born human (b. 1810) to be filmed [3].

Most importantly, his reign spanned two centuries (1878-1903), and with that was a pronounced connection to social justice; the 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum literally addressed “new things” in the midst of industrial revolution, and the face of a new century. The tract pontificated Catholic social teaching as it pertains to social issues relating to capital and labour, established the church’s “moral authority to promote justice in public life” [4], and expressed opposition to both socialism and unregulated capitalism, paving the ideological way for Christian Democratic parties in Europe.

The Pope’s first week: “war”

That aspect of a social Pope is undeniably familiar to our present century; Pope Francis was described by UN Secretary General Guterres as a “transcendent voice for peace, human dignity and social justice” [5], with awareness on modern issues such as climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, and modern warfare.

The present Pope Leo XIV has thus another similarity with Francis; as well as his continent and century, there an apparent focus on social issues. Referring to war in his first Sunday address, he said the following, followed by particular references to Gaza, Ukraine, and India-Pakistan [6]:

“I would also like to address the powerful people of the world, repeating the always current call: ‘no more war'”

“The immense tragedy of the Second World War ended 80 years ago…now we’re facing the tragedy of a third world war in pieces.”

While aligning with Francis on many issues – such as migrants and the poor – some have suggested restraint towards a centrist disposition. “He kept a low profile on the most contentious, nerualgic, sensitive, controversial issues” [7] and remains traditional in doctrines such as prohibiting women from being deacons, or potentially concerning LGBTQ+ issues, especially considering his 2012 remarks against media sympathy for “homosexual lifestyle” [8].

With all the above general similarities, for Pope no. 267, it is clearly that very aspect of continuity that the Catholic Church aims to hold paramount.

References

[1] Bomey, N., (2025). “You could have made a fortune betting on an American pope”. Axios, 8 May 2025. https://www.axios.com/2025/05/08/robert-prevost-pope-prediction-markets

[2] Pollio Fenton, F., (2025). “14 things to know about Pope Leo XIV — the first U.S.-born pope”. Catholic News Agency, 8 May 2025. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263975/14-things-to-know-about-pope-leo-xiv-the-first-us-born-pope

[3] Crux Staff, (2013). “American role in first-ever papal film scrubbed by Vatican due to ‘lascivious’ use”. Crux Now, 13 Nov 2013. https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/11/american-role-in-first-ever-papal-film-scrubbed-by-vatican-due-to-lascivious-use

[4] CAPP-USA, “Rerum Novarum summary”. Catholic Social Teaching in Action, retrieved 11 May 2025. https://capp-usa.org/2025/03/rerum-novarum-summary/

[5] UN Press Release, (2025). “Pope Francis ‘Transcendent Voice for Peace, Human Dignity, Social Justice’, Says Secretary-General on Passing of Pontiff”. United Nations, 21 Apr 2025. https://press.un.org/en/2025/sgsm22627.doc.htm

[6] Lamche, A., Rainsford, S., (2025). “Pope Leo appeals for no more war in first Sunday address”. BBC News, 11 May 2025. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0r18dp9lxxo

[7] Ott, H., (2025). “Who is Pope Leo XIV? American Cardinal Robert Prevost is the new pope”. CBS News, 10 May 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-pope-robert-prevost-pope-leo-xiv/

[8] Rouquette, P., (2025). “Progressive outreach, traditional doctrine? Where Pope Leo XIV stands on the key issues”. France24, 9 May 2025. https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250509-progressive-outreach-traditional-doctrine-where-pope-leo-xiv-stands-on-key-issues