A (flawed) Catholic's perspective on...

...the election of Pope Leo XIV

A scholar of the Church, I am not.

A perfect practitioner of my faith, I am not.

A man surprised by the selection of an American as Pope, I am.

If you’re looking for some deeply researched and studious examination of why Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the new Pope, then you’ve come to the wrong place.

Instead, read on if you’re curious what an imperfect Catholic thinks of the decision.

It seemed farfetched to me to think that in my lifetime, an American would be chosen to lead the Catholic faith. America seemed too liberal, too powerful, too much a bully in the eyes of the Church. Electing an American to be pope could only have negative ramifications, I thought.

So, why Cardinal Prevost? Why in 2025?

I bet the knee-jerk reaction that some people will have is that his fellow cardinals wanted to send a message to the President of the United States: Your positions most especially relating to social justice don’t sit well with us so we’re doing something about it.

I’m not buying it. The previous Pope was more than capable of telling the US and the world that all nations needed to treat the poorest among us with dignity. Whoever replaced Pope Francis would have carried on these words primarily because there’s a legacy of such detailed messaging.

Whatever the reasons for Pope Leo XIV’s selection, count me among those who don’t think standing up to the US was one of them.

Let’s not deny that Cardinal Prevost had the resume that made him a reasonable candidate. He has a doctorate in canon law. He lived and worked among the poor in Peru. He spent considerable time working in the Vatican and alongside former Pope Francis. He was a Dicastery for Bishops, meaning he had a critical role in selecting new bishops.

To borrow a cliche, he had the chops.

But he was an American. I couldn’t get past that as I saw him share with the world his election. I smiled. I couldn’t help it. Oh, sure, I’d have smiled if he had been European or Asian, Latin American or African. He was the leader of my faith no matter what his nationality.

Yet he was a fellow American. And one of us for the first time is now Pope.

I couldn’t be happier.

I’ll let others who study the Church debate whether he will be more, less or equally liberal than Pope Francis. I’ll also let others discuss the critical issues the Church must combat. And I’ll definitely let others argue which direction the Church ought to be moving.

On this day, an American is Pope. It’s a good day.