This Pope Will Roar

It is hard in these dark times not to think of the Book of Revelation. And yet, it is a book of hope that proclaims: “Look! The lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won the victory!” (5:5) The lion Scripture speaks of is Christ, and the victory is the resurrection, Easter—the ultimate triumph over evil and death. And this was the first message of the newly elected pope from St. Peter’s loggia: “God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail.” 

In his first moments as pope, Leo XIV did what is expected of Peter’s successor: He confessed the risen Christ, proclaimed his love and faithfulness to him, and promised to be a bridge builder—a pontifex—because “the world needs His light.” He continued: “To all you brothers and sisters of Rome, Italy, of all the world, we want to be a synodal church, walking and always seeking peace, charity, closeness, especially to those who are suffering.” Certainly, the Church as the pilgrim people of God is always “synodal,” but his implication seemed to be a genuine commitment to those who suffer because they uniquely reflect the image of Christ. And while media pundits will use this phrase to depict him as following in the footsteps of the late Pope Francis, he also gave equal consideration to the need to be a missionary church—not a church of proselytizers, but of witnesses of the love that redeemed the world. 

I couldn’t help but be reminded of John Paul II and Benedict XVI—partly because the new pope wore the traditional mozzetta when he said this. Moreover, I believe it was no accident that his embrace of a synodal church was followed by an invocation of Our Lady of Pompeii, whose feast day was yesterday. True synodality that “strengthens” the faith in all Christians is always the fruit of love and prayer, not of sentimentalism and activism. And what better embodiment of true synodality, of walking with the Lord from birth to Golgotha to Easter, is there than Mary? By leading the crowds in praying a Hail Mary, he wasted no time in fulfilling his papal commission: to teach us how to pray, to strengthen our faith, and to feed us with God’s word.

It is part of God’s comical theology that the Lion oversees the lambs, roaring against the wild beasts that threaten and endanger the herd while gently watching over the flock entrusted to him. We would all do well to remember Mr. Beaver’s remarks in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia about Aslan: “He is not a tame lion.” I don’t think Pope Leo XIV will be one either. He will be a roaring lion just like Leo XIII. Like his predecessor, Leo XIV seems to possess a calm, deliberate, diplomatic personality, but also a true zeal and love for Christ. Nobody had expected the soft-spoken, elderly Leo XIII to promulgate Rerum Novarum (1891), an encyclical whose echoes still ring loudly throughout the world. On a few pages, he challenged the powerful to respect the dignity of the working person, the family, and basic human needs. His roar is as loud today as it was then, as this text still provides the foundation for the Church’s social teaching. 

Furthermore, it was Leo XIII who provided clarity in a time of theological confusion. I believe we can expect something similar from Leo XIV, who headed a pro-life club while an undergraduate student at Villanova. Perhaps we will see the renaissance of a more theological papacy. Mathematics, which Leo majored in at Villanova, and canon law, in which he received a doctorate, have much in common; both are ordered and precise. More importantly, they foster love. The higher realms of mathematics demand complete attention, often compared to the loving focus the mystics have for their God, as the venerable Maria de Agnesi and Pascal wrote. Moreover, canon law is not a legal discipline, but a theological one, founded upon the mission and authority given to the Apostles in order to lead, govern, and sanctify the people of God. This focus on love was embodied by another Augustinian pope, Benedict XVI, who gave the Church some of her most beautiful writings on charity, hope, and faith. 

But we should also not forget the first bearer of the papal name, Leo the Great. A contemporary of St. Augustine, he not only upheld the orthodox faith against a sea of confusion and heterodoxy but also fiercely defended the personal dignity of the human person. In a week in which the state of New York took first steps to legalize assisted suicide, Leo’s words from the fifth century should ring in our ears: “Christian, acknowledge your dignity, and become a partner in the Divine nature. Refuse to return to old baseness through degenerate conduct. Remember the Head and Body of which you are a member. Recollect that you were rescued from the power of darkness and brought into God’s light and kingdom.”

Legend has it that Leo I also possessed the fortitude to confront the Huns invading Italy—not with a sword like St. Ulrich, but with his words. He allegedly negotiated with the infamous king Attila and saved the city of Rome. He had the soul of a lion. 

I believe the shoes of the fisherman will fit Cardinal Prevost. Let us pray that, like his predecessors, he possesses the soul of a lion and the unshakeable love of St. Augustine, who proclaimed: “In him we are one.”