Viva Il Papa! Part 1

by Fr. Tony Okolo C.S.Sp., V.F.  |  05/18/2025  |  Weekly Reflection

Beloved Parishioners,

Today I share with you a reflection on our new Pope. On the evening of Thursday, May 8, 2025, following the burst out of the most anticipated white fumes from the chimney aloft the Sistine chapel, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Cardinal Protodeacon of the Holy Roman Church, walked out of the Loggia of Saint Peter’s Basilica wearing a solemn warmth around him to announce the most prominent Latin phrase of the moment “Habemus papam!”

What followed afterwards for the whole world was a stunner, but for we Americans it was a moment so surreal, so historic. The world’s 1.4 billion Catholics just got a leader who once walked the streets of Chicago and even served on the board of Tulsa’s Cascia Hall. For the first time ever, an American — Cardinal Robert Prevost, became Pope Leo XIV. Yes, you read that right — an American Pope! If you’re not feeling a jolt of pride, check your pulse.

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was born on September 14, 1955. A member of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.) he moved to Peru for his missionary works in 1985, dedicating nearly two decades to missionary work, serving as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher, and administrator. He was the Prior General of the Augustinians from 2001 to 2013. He then served as the Catholic Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, from 2015 to 2023, when Pope Francis created him a Cardinal and appointed him the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. In February 2025, Pope Francis elevated him to the position of the Cardinal- Bishop of Albano. Pope Leo XIV is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese and also possesses reading proficiency in Latin and German.

But Pope Leo XIV isn’t just breaking national boundaries. He’s also the first Augustinian to ascend to the Chair of Peter. The Augustinians, followers of the Rule of Saint Augustine, have a storied legacy of intellectual rigor, missionary zeal, and deep pastoral care. Now, their charism has reached the papacy itself, promising a pontificate rooted in the wisdom of Augustine: restless hearts seeking God, restless minds seeking truth. It is noteworthy to point out that Pope Leo X excommunicated Father Martin Luther, an Augustinian friar, and 504 years later, another member of the Augustinian Order, Pope Leo XIV, seeks to heal the rift and address the lasting impacts of Luther’s actions. It follows then that Pope Leo XIV brings to the Vatican a portfolio as rich as it is varied: missionary service, theological formation, and pastoral leadership. His election was swift, decisive, and — let’s be honest — deliciously historic. The conclave didn’t dither; they saw in him the blend of tradition and innovation the Church needs for these times.

Over and above Pope Leo’s exciting Curriculum Vitae and portfolio, we see in him a pope that will jolt the already fast-paced and seemingly liberal faced Church back to tradition. First impression they say matters, right? Choosing the name Leo isn’t just a nod to history, it’s a declaration. Thirteen popes before him have borne the name, five of whom are saints. The Leos have always been lions: strong, courageous, and wise! The election of Pope Leo XIV, born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, on the 8th of May, and his choice of papal name carry deliberate echoes of Pope Leo XIII. While addressing the cardinals at the General Assembly yesterday, Pope Leo XIV affirmed thus: “I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labor.” To be concluded next week.