On May 8, Catholic leaders from around the world gathered in Vatican City and chose the new pope, Pope Leo XIV.
The choice was made following five votes over two days in a process called conclave. Conclave is a closed gathering of the College of Cardinals to elect a new pope. The process is rooted in the 13th century when Pope Gregory X formalized it.
AP US History and Government teacher Brian Smith explained the process.
“It’s all done in secret, [the College of Cardinals] are all secluded in Sistine Chapel. There is no coming and going, they’re hunkered down there until they make a decision,” Smith said.
The Role of the Pope
The Pope, also known as the Bishop of Rome, has a big impact on the 1.406 billion Catholics. He has complete jurisdiction over the churches around the world.
Freshman Samantha Lozinski talked about the importance of the Pope.
“I think [the Pope] is really important because he sets a lot of examples for other priests and he is the one that people look up to,” Lozinski said.
Globalization in the Catholic Community
AP European History and AP World History teacher Justine Kononov talked about changes in the Catholic community.
“With globalization, Catholicism is spreading, more cardinals could be considered from other places, so like a Chinese Cardinal, there is an African one, and then obviously Pope Francis was our first Latin American one,” Kononov said.
Potential Contenders
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was chosen unexpectedly. While guesses about who will be the next Pope are often inaccurate, people still had different perceptions. Pope Francis made many appointments in a short time with the cardinals before his death, and some of them were expected to be the new Pope.
Pietro Parolin of Italy was mentioned the most among the candidates. He is currently the Cardinal Secretary of State of Vatican City and is in charge of the Vatican’s diplomatic relations.
Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle of the Philippines was also one of the predicted successors. He is known as the “Asian Francis” and was the favorite candidate of the late Pope in 2020.
Current Priorities in the Catholic World
The Catholic Cardinals are currently focusing on making the 2000-year-old church credible and relevant to the younger generations. Due to the growth of the Catholic population in Africa and Asia, the church is concentrating on these regions.
“It will be interesting to see if the next Pope, if they are going to continue kind of the progress…or if they are going to want to return to tradition,” Kononov said.
About Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo, also known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was born in Chicago, on Sept. 14, 1955. Therefore, he is the first U.S.-born pope in history.
“His past statements are very Christ-like, he shows a lot of hate for sin, but love for sinners. He said that the Catholic Church should be a place that loves and accepts everyone and he upholds all the traditional values and morals” junior Lawrence Garmat said.
After being chosen, the new pope said “Peace be with you,” in Italian. He is going to focus on migrants, the poor, and the environment, as well as LGBTQ+ in the church and marriage among them.
