It would be no surprise if the straight-talking Chicago-born cardinal is still known as “Bob” to his friends – or perhaps “Pope Bob” to the rest of us.
He became known as the “Latin Yankee” in Rome, but worked for 20 years in Peru’s poorest enclave. His first words as pontiff – “Peace be with you all” – coming as they did on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe could not have been more resonant.
As a leader of the Augustinian Order, he is said to have a missionary heart, and is expected to follow the path marked out by Pope Francis.
His passage through the “room of tears” – to which every new pope retreats for a moment of reflection before crossing its threshold – was an apt metaphor for the world he must walk as pontiff.
Yet it was with conviction that he told a crowded St Peter’s Square that evil would not prevail. The light of love can still shine, even in the most difficult of times.
The story goes that in the August 1978 conclave, Pope John Paul I accepted the honour of becoming pontiff, but told the assembled cardinals: “May God forgive you for what you have done.”
Pope Leo betrayed no such reluctance. If this conclave was the largest and most diverse in history, it made relatively short work of selecting its new Bishop of Rome.
All must walk together, he entreated, once again echoing the humane but powerful voice adopted by Francis
And if cardinals battled with their colleagues on where the new pontiff might stand on topics including divorce, sexual abuse by clergy, inclusion issues and so many others, they cannot have done so for long.
Much work must be done on all fronts. The 267th leader of the planet’s 1.4 billion Catholics will have an awful lot on his plate.
With geopolitics in such turbulence and wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan – and nuclear powers Pakistan and India now exchanging fire – a passionate advocate of peace would be an invaluable voice of mediation.
This week, a statement from cardinals lamented the dismal lack of progress in peace talks on Ukraine and the Middle East.
In his address, Pope Leo promised to be close to all who suffer. All must walk together, he entreated, once again echoing the humane but powerful voice adopted by Francis.
Such words of healing and hope will be a tonic for all those disillusioned with a polarising age, perhaps nowhere more so than in Leo’s native America.
Once, when asked what was the essential quality of a bishop, he replied: “The authority we have is to serve, to accompany priests, to be pastors and teachers.”
It is easy to see how he has already been designated “a bridge builder” by commentators.
Should he wish to serve, there has never been such a need for bridges in our divided world.
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