I have lived during the Papacy’s eight popes. The first was Pius XII who died on Oct. 9, 1958. Pope Leo the XIV’s papacy will likely be my last because at 69 he is 10 years younger than I am.

He is the first American pope, which was something that many American Catholics thought would never happen. Since his election we have learned that Leo XIV was born in Chicago as Robert Prevost in 1955. He was an altar boy and sang in the choir at his parish and he has two older brothers Louis and John Prevost and that he comes from a strong Catholic family.

He entered the Augustinian minor seminary after eighth grade and is a graduate of Villanova University. He was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982. He did extensive missionary work in Peru and later served as prior and director of missions and vocations for the Augustinian province in Chicago. He went on to head the worldwide Augustinian order from 2001 to 2013 and was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023.

He is a fan of the Chicago Bears who finished last in the NFC North in the 2024-25 season and of the Chicago White Sox who are currently in last place in the American League Central Division. Being a fan of both of these teams is not an indication of the failure of Papal Infallibility, which has only been invoked twice and only when speaking “ex cathedra” (from the chair) on matters of faith and morals but not baseball or football even if both sports evoke a kind of religious fervor in some fans.

There has been a lot of speculation on what impact Leo XIV’s papacy will have on the Catholic Church and the world. Because a Pope like an American Supreme Court Justice does not campaign for the position or normally undergo the brutal personal dissection of a political campaign in both cases we are sometimes surprised how they act in office. The best we can do to get some idea of what we might expect from Leo XIV is to see what those who have studied his career have to say and beyond that to see what Leo himself has said in the past.

Stephen Pope, Professor of Theology at Boston College, said of Pope Leo XIV that “while more reserved and cautious than his predecessor, Pope Leo XIV can be expected to continue the Church’s commitment to the main concerns of Pope Francis on the dignity and rights of refugees, the promotion of peace and justice, and compassion for those who suffer.” Remembering that Leo and Pope Francis were close with Francis advancing Leo’s career this assessment could be correct. Time will tell.

Father James Keenan, Professor of Theology at Boston Colleges said that “Pope Leo XIV picked the name of the pope most known for initiating modern Catholic discourse on social justice. When Pope Leo XIII promulgated Rerum Novarum (1891) he made it clear that the papacy would advocate for structural change for the alienated. Pope Leo XIV’s name choice is sensational.” Remembering also that Pope Leo XIII believed that the Church’s pastoral activity should extend to addressing political and social issues, advocating for the dignity and rights of all individuals can we expect that a major aim of his Papacy will focus on social justice. Very likely.

Pope Leo stated his views on the role of women in the Catholic Church during a 2023 Vatican news conference when he said that “women can add a great deal to the life of the church on many different levels.” Yet he rejected the idea of ordaining women saying that “‘clericalizing women’ doesn’t necessarily solve a problem, It might make a new problem.”

So, do those words preclude women being ordained as Deacons, an issue that had recently gained some traction? In an address to the seminar organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the American Pontiff said that many young people were “longing for authentic relationships and guides in life” and that the soaring numbers “who choose cohabitation instead of Christian marriage need someone to show them in a concrete and clear way.” He said the most effective witness Catholic couples could offer to cohabitees was “the example of their lives”. Married Catholics can demonstrate “what the gift of sacramental grace in marriage is and what strength derives from it.” Could it be that strengthening the family will be a major focus of Leo’s papacy?

The then-cardinal reaffirmed the Vatican’s commitments to protecting the environment, pointing to Pope Francis’ installation of solar panels and Vatican City’s shift to electric vehicles as examples. Leo said humanity’s “dominion over nature” should not be “tyrannical,” but rather a “relationship of reciprocity” with the environment. What course might his papacy take on issues like climate change? Again, only time will tell.

There are indications that the first American pontiff disapproves of some of President Donald Trump administration’s hard-line stances on climate change, gun ownership and immigration. However, the President and his supporters have found aspects of the new pope’s background that excite them, including his ardent anti-abortion advocacy and his opposition to a government plan in Peru to add teachings on gender in schools. Seeing how these two men get along could be interesting.

All I can say at this point is that in the coming months and years, will we be able to see the shape, and direction of Leo XIV’s papacy?

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com