I never thought I would live to see an American Pope. This is so exciting and makes me happy for our faith.
8 thoughts on Pope Leo XIV: by Marcel LeJeune
2 - Every Pope is (in a sense) made new, when made Pope. You can't just take what he has said or done in the past and translate it into being Pope. So, let's wait to see what he will focus on and do.
3 - Don't listen to the commentators and pundits who want to tell you what he is all about. Most (almost all secular ones and even many Catholic ones) have a false framing of Church issues. The left / right and conservative / liberal dichotomies taken from Western politics don't neatly transfer to the Church. Catholicism is bigger. While we have various issues, they aren't just political and the framing is wrong. Catholicism needs to be seen through the lens of faith and not a political one.
4 - God promised to give us Popes and to protect the Church from false teaching. Not good Popes. Not holy Popes. Not Popes we agree with on every detail. While we should pray and hope he is good and holy, we aren't promised those things.
5 - Americans should NOT expect that we will get any special treatment. The Pope is the Pope of everyone. In fact, I suspect (partly because of taking the name Leo), that he will directly challenge many accepted American ways of thinking and living. So, don't say I didn't warn y'all.
6 - Be prepared for Villanova to be unbearably obnoxious for the foreseeable future. He went there.
7 - Because he is a canon lawyer and former Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, I expect bishop appointments to be very important to him. I also expect some pretty deep impacts to the internal workings of the Curia, which are very very needed.
8 - Keep Jesus as your focus. Popes come and go. Leaders come and go. Jesus remains the same. Only he is Lord. Only he is worthy of worship. He is the point of this earthly Church. Jesus, help us keep our eyes on you!
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