At a key moment in the history of the Church, the appointment of thePope Leo XIV, elected in the recent conclave by the 133 cardinal electors, marks a stage of continuity and hope in the process of renewal initiated by Pope Francis.
The new Bishop of Rome,Roberto Francisco Prevost, Augustinian religious and first Pope with nationalityPeruvian-American, has a deep connection with Latin America and especially with Peru, where he was a missionary for more than 25 years and Bishop ofChiclayofor eight. In 2023, Pope Francis appointed himPrefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, and later,Cardinal.
He chosen name, Leo XIV, is in itself a symbol: it echoes the PopeLeo XIII, author of the encyclicalNew things, who inaugurated the Social Doctrine of the Church in the 19th century, and also remembersBrother Leo of Assisi, a close companion of St. Francis in times of crisis. Both figures suggest a vision of the Church as profoundly social, fraternal, and close to the most vulnerable.
During the General Congregations prior to the conclave, the cardinals outlined the profile of the new Pope, with aclear option to continue the synodal pathoutlined by Pope Francis: promote a synodal Church, reform the Roman Curia, build peace, care for our common home, eradicate abuses and embody a Church “with an Amazonian face.”
In his first meeting with the cardinals after his election, Leo XIV reaffirmed this orientation:
“I would like us to renew together, today, our full commitment to this path, the path that the universal Church has been following for decades in the footsteps of the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis has masterfully recalled and updated its content in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.”
He Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno, S.J., President of theEcclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), who knew Leo XIV closely during his episcopal service in Peru, highlights hisspirit of listening, serenity, discreet firmness and closeness to the People of God. In his words,“Leo XIV is the expression of God’s newness in the continuity of the Church’s mission.”.
From CEAMA, we greet this new pontificate with deep hope, convinced thatLeo XIV will know how to accompany and strengthen the paths opened by the Synod for the Amazon and the universal synodal process., consolidating a Church that walks at the pace of the people, in communion with creation, and at the service of life.