Habemus Papam!
We have a Pope.
Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, Illinois has been elected the 267th successor of the Apostle St. Peter.
His ascendance to the Petrine Office contrasts sharply with that of his predecessor who was chosen in a conclave necessitated by the abdication of the office by Josef Ratzinger. The circumstances -- hotly debated to this day -- include a shockingly scandalous dossier on clerical mischief presented to Pope Benedict XVI shortly before he announced his resignation; the appearance of manipulation of the conclave by the so-called "St. Gallen mafia"; and the spectacle of a 'bifurcated' Papacy with a contemplative Pope emeritus and an active Pope Francis.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio -- the first Jesuit ever selected to the Papacy -- chose the novel title "Francis" and appeared at the loggia without the traditional vestments. Then the world witnessed a bizarre and ominous sign when a blackbird and a seagull attacked doves released from the same loggia as a symbol of peace. We would later learn that Pope Francis rehabilitated the now-disgraced and laicized Cardinal Theodore McCarrick -- suspended by Pope Benedict XVI -- and dispatched him to participate in the negotiations with the Chinese Communist Party that resulted in the relinquishing of episcopal authority to the atheist government.
Cardinal Prevost was quickly elected by a conclave of 130 of his peers on just the 5th ballot without any hint of scandal, skullduggery, or determined opposition. The day -- May 8th -- linked him with St. Michael the Archangel whose feast it was -- and the name taken, Leo XIV likewise links integrally to the same archangel. Before Vatican II it was the custom (ordered by Pope Leo XIII after a vision of Satan protesting with Christ) to recite the prayer to St. Michael after each low Mass offered in the Latin Rite.
Pope Leo emerged from loggia in traditional vestments and greeted the throng of faithful with our Lord's greeting, "peace be with you." He read from prepared remarks and led the faithful in praying the Ave Maria -- a clear sign of unabashed Marian devotion, again harkening to his predecessor Leo XIII famous for promulgating multiple encyclicals on the holy Rosary.
Themes prominent in the new pontificate are Christo-centricity, unity, and peace. The new Pope seems to be unambiguously stressing that the Papacy and the Church belong to God, and not the Vatican. His background in mathematics and Canon law equip him to communicate with a clarity, precision, and deliberateness missing in the allocutions of his predecessor who famously exhorted the faithful to "make a mess."
Signs to watch for
I am personally watching for the following three issues to obtain what the attitude of the new Pope will be towards those attached to Tradition.
1) What will happen to his Excellency Joseph Strickland, former Bishop of Tyler, Texas? The popular and beloved Strickland was removed after a hasty and highly suspect visitation by Roman auditors and was never reassigned. While Cardinal Prevost was the Prefect for the Dicastery for Episcopal assignments when Strickland was removed, it seemed obvious to most that it was in fact Pope Francis that ordered his removal. It will be telling when we know what will become of the former Bishop of Tyler who has already pledged his loyalty to the new Roman Pontiff.
2) How will the Latin Mass be regulated? Pope Francis' 2021 motu proprio Traditionis custodes violently opposed the one promulgated by his predecessor Benedict XVI in 2007 (Summorum pontificum). It drastically curtailed the liberty of priests to use the preconciliar liturgy and restricted access to the Latin Mass and sacraments for the faithful. Traditionalists took courage when the new Pope chanted the Regina Caeli in Latin from the loggia and blessed the journalists in perfect Latin after their initial press conference. Rumors abound that Prevost has been praying the Latin Mass in private for years but remain unsubstantiated at this time. He does seem both aware of and concerned about the vocations crisis which does not exist among traditional communities.
3) Will he approve the consecration of new bishops for the SSPX? The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius the Tenth now has over 700 priests and not less than 200 seminarians in formation, guided by just two bishops. The original four bishops consecrated in 1988 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre were not approved by Rome resulting in the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei adflicta published by Pope John Paul II that pronounced Lefebvre and the prelates "self-excommunicated" (latae sententiae). Canon lawyers disputed the rationale behind the decision, and the document was eventually annulled by Benedict XVI in 2009 lifting the censure levied against the SSPX. In 2015 the "year of mercy" Pope Francis also authorized the absolutions and witnessing of marriages exercised by SSPX priests. Pope Leo XIV has a real opportunity to heal a major rift in the ecclesial body by authorizing the consecration of new bishops for the society and by regularizing the SSPX with a personal prelature.
Ironically, Prevost and Lefebvre share a great deal in common, each spending decades on the mission fields as both priests and prelates, each ascending to the office of Superior General of their missionary societies - Lefebvre of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Prevost of the Oblates of St. Augustine.
Other important signs to watch for are his personnel appointments, such as replacing the controversial Prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, infamous for his salacious treatment of sacred subject matter. Likewise it remains to be seen how the traditionally-oriented religious societies such as the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculata are treated. Francis ordered them to cease using the 1962 liturgical books soon after assuming office and has likewise oppressed other traditionally minded societies.
Critics of the new Pope cite his intentions to continue the conciliar doctrinal bent (Vatican II reforms) and praxis (synodality). These declarations should surprise no one and need not be feared at this point. Regardless who was elected Pope in 2025, this intention would have been inevitable. What is not inevitable is the meaning ascribed to these two nebulous ideas by Leo XIV and the effect of centrifugal forces unleashed by loosening restriction on traditional doctrine and praxis. In all probability Leo will attempt to anchor his Papacy in the relatively stable patterns of Wojtyla and Ratzinger, but his missionary mindset and linkage to the preconciliar pontificate of Leo XIII may lead him towards a more traditional exercise of the Petrine office than either of those. We simply don't know yet.
There are already viscerally detectable sighs of relief among churchmen now that Prevost has been chosen Supreme Pontiff. He is not Francis. That in and of itself is a change welcomed by many in the Church, the Roman Curia not to be excepted. Likewise, the secular media which loved Pope Francis seems aghast at the new Pope's reiteration of the traditional idea of marriage and family as though it were some outrageous controversy. Pope Leo recited these words of his religious order's patron upon accepting the office of Blessed Peter:
‘For you I am a bishop, with you, I am a Christian.’ In this sense we can all walk together toward that homeland that God has prepared.”
May God strengthen our new Pope in all the ways that conduct the Church Militant towards that homeland which the elect are called to possess forever.
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