New York (AP) – The news that the world Catholic Church would get its very first pope born in the United States was greeted by Catholics through the ideological spectrum Pope Leo XIV The homeland is, raising the question of whether it could be able to relieve some of the deep divisions in its ranks.
From American Catholics to the left of the ideological center, it is optimistic that Leo will continue to raise awareness of Pope Francis to poor and marginalized people, including migrants, and provide a counterweight to Trump administration policies who distress them. On the right, there is hope that the new pope will faithfully maintain Catholic doctrine, including opposition to abortion, homosexual marriage and the ordination of women.
One of the reasons for optimism: the new Pope clearly indicated – in his remarks and his choice of A motto – This unit within the World Church will be a key priority.
“When he started, he is still an empty ship,” said Steven Millies, professor of public theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. “Until we get to know him better, we can pay our expectations in him.”
Notre Dame’s provost, John McGreevy, a Catholicism historian, said that he was “completely amazed” after the papal announcement, after sharing the conventional wisdom that a Pope of the United States was almost impossible.
But Leo “is a global Catholic citizen,” said McGreevy, quoting the pontiff Time in Peruat the Vatican and Direct an international religious order.
“Even if he is an American, and we are super proud that he is American, it is difficult to think of someone more anchored in a large part of the world church,” he said.
What will be Pope Leo’s relationship with us Catholics?
It is too early to say what will be Leo’s relationship with his American prelates colleagues and the wider American Catholic Church, warned McGreevy.
“The first indications are that there will be similarities with Pope Francis,” he said-suggesting that the differences with the bishops of the United States could continue.
McGreevy said it expects a certain tension between the Vatican and the White House on immigration and climate change, two of Francis’ key priorities likely to be reaffirmed by Leo.
Chad Pecknold, professor of systematic theology at the Catholic University of America, suggested that Francis did not like or misunderstood the United States.
“With Leo XIV, it is clear that he likes not only America, but he even likes White Sox,” said Pecknold by e-mail. “It can only have a good effect, not only on American Catholics, but also American bishops, and in fact, everyone. It is good to feel like the Pope is on your side.”
In recent years of Francis’ papacy, one of the most conflicting questions among American bishops was whether Catholic politicians who supported abortion rights – including the president of the time, Joe Biden, and the president of the house of the time, Nancy Pelosi – should be prohibited from receiving communion.
Francis stressed that he would not reject politicians who support abortion rights and Biden received communion during a visit to Rome in 2021.
Archbishop San Francisco Salvatore Cordileone, who Prohibit Pelosi from receiving communion In the archdiocese, leo described as a “bridge manufacturer”.
“It will be a good force for unity in the church,” Cordileone told Kpix-TV in San Francisco. “Even with differences in opinion and different strategy ideas and so on, we can have unity in the Church.”
The American representative Chris Smith, a republican of New Jersey and adversary of frank abortion, took heart of a homily delivered at the beginning of this year by Leo while he was Cardinal Robert Prevost. The passage quoted by Smith: “God’s mercy calls us to protect each life, in particular these societies neglect – the child still born and the elderly are approaching the end of their trip – because everyone carries the face of Christ.”
Smith described this remark as “emphasizing the protection of the right to life as the first among the many humanitarian responsibilities of the Church”.
The acting president of Catholics for Choice, who supports abortion rights, recognized that Leo opposes abortion and said that the group would send him letters from Catholics who do not agree with this position.
“We pray for him to be a pope guided by a commitment to peace, justice and inclusion,” said Chris Wimbush. “The future of our Church depends on greater inclusion and nuances on boresic health decisions such as abortion, contraception and IVF.”
Women and church
Francis, during its papacy, made significant progress to give women more management positions in the church. But he confirmed the ban on women priests and built the hope that women could be ordered as deacons.
Ellie Hidalgo of demanding deacons, which defends the women’s deacons of the Church, said that she hoped that Leo would support the continuous examination of the church of the church of Participation of women in the ministry. A Vatican process for several years has left the question disputed to know if women should be ordered as deacons.
Hidalgo, who lives in Miami, heard about Cardinal Prevost in February when she was in Rome for a celebration of deacons.
“He asked deacons to be humble in their service,” said Hidalgo. “I could just say by meeting him that it is something that he really appreciates … that you have to be at the service and that you are there in a posture of humility.”
The United States’s-based ordination conference, which recommends that women are accepted as a priests, have greeted the inclusive tone of Leo’s initial remarks.
“His clear accent on the construction of bridges and the dialogue offer WOC hope that Pope Leo XIV could be a leader who will also build bridges for Catholic women,” the group’s statement said. He was considering “a long -awaited day when women have been recognized as equal in Christ”.
Called by Pope Francis
Francis, in many ways, saw Robert PREVOST as a possible successor, the attacker to Pérou who strengthened his curriculum vitae and later call him to the Vatican to supervise the influential office which opens the appointments of the bishops.
“Francis paid particular attention to the new American bishops,” said Millies, professor of public theology. “Prévost was the man of Francis supervising the meticulous selection of another type of bishop to fulfill the important positions in the United States”
Millies said that the main leaders of the US Catholic Bishops – who was Sometimes in disagreement with Francis – remains relatively conservative.
But in the rows of bishops below them, “change has already happened,” Millie said. “These are more pastoral men than to focus on the doctrine. The election of Leo means that we are firmly in a different time. ”
Traditionally, the taboo against an American pope reflected the reluctance to give even more influence to the world 1. This should not be a concern for Leo, according to Austen Ivereigh, British journalist and author of two books on the Papacy Francis.
“If someone thinks that he (Leo) will take a different line from Francis on migration or climate change, he is surprising,” said Ivereigh. “Francis put into practice the teaching of the Church, and Leo will do the same.”
There was a gourmet reaction to the election of Leo of Bishop Robert Strickland, who was ousted by Francis in 2023 from the management of the diocese of Tyler in Texas. Strickland had been a fierce critic of Francis and came to symbolize polarization within the American hierarchy.
In publications on social networks after Leo has taken the papacy, Strickland expressed the hope that he would faithfully support the sacred writings and traditions known as the deposit of faith.
“With the heavyweight of the papacy now on his shoulders, he needs our prayers,” added Strickland.
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Stanley reported to Washington. The journalists of the Associated Press Nicole Winfield in Rome and Peter Smith in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
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