By Fr. Fred Tusingire, UEC National Director – Lay Apostolate……………………………..
On 8th May 2025 at around 6.07 pm, the white smoke was seen above the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Amidist shouts of joy and expectant waiting, the words of the traditional formula “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum Habemus Papam” followed, pronounced from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
The names of the new pope were announced as Robert Francis Prevost followed by his chosen name Leo XIV which was chosen for his office as Bishop of Rome and Pontiff of the Universal Church. Until then, he was not one of those focused on by the media as the most favorable candidate for the papacy.
In accordance with tradition, the fisherman’s ring of Pope Francis had been destroyed by the Cardinal Camerlengo marking the official end of Francis’ papacy. Pope Leo XIV, thus became the pope of the Catholic Church and the first one from North America.
One of the questions we may all be interested in is, ‘what awaits Pope Leo now and what are the indicators from his life about what we might expect under his papacy’?
It is important to understand that the pope is a spiritual leader, a universal shepherd and as such his work is to be seen in line with the guidance of the universal church in matters of faith and morals. Like any shepherd, he is expected, among other things, to lead the Church, with the help of the various tools at his disposal including scripture, tradition and other instruments of the Church hierarchy, and help the church to remain faithful to her faith and mission.
In recent days, some people have been heard saying that a certain Pope wore old shoes and did not stay in the official residence, therefore, he should be declared a saint. While all this might be true and good indicators of what one stood for, I am not sure that the greatness of the pope is based solely on that. Certainly, the gauge of the effectiveness of a pope, let alone his sainthood must go beyond this. I believe that what would be more important should include virtues such as humility, faith, love and the spirit of sacrifice. Basically, this should be guided by how one has been faithful to his vocation, first as a Christian, then as a priest and bishop and later on how he has been dedicated to guiding the church and her members to the true faith handed down by Christ.
The conclave that convened this year guided by the Holy Spirit seems to have given us a pope well prepared for our times. With the Augustinian spirituality under the patronage of the African Saint Augustine, he has a sure foundation to count on. His earlier responsibilities are certainly a good help for his new mission.
The Church is missionary by nature, and it exists to evangelize. His life as a missionary in Peru will come in handy as he guides the Church in that essential aspect of the Church. His experience as superior of the Augustinian Order for two terms will help him in cultivating a broad view of the Church he now presides over. His choice of the name Leo XIV seems to say something about where he could be headed in leading the Church of Christ. Following in the footsteps of his immediate success in that name, Pope Leo XIII, he might be intentional in taking some of his examples. Pope Leo XIII is the pope who fought against injustices and promoted true dignity of persons. Besides writing a lot about Mary and the Holy Rosary, he also wrote on important topics relevant to us today. Some of his teachings could be seen in the encyclicals he wrote: Inscrutabili Dei Consilio (On the Evils of Society 21.4.1878), Arcanum Divinae (on Christian Marriage 10.2.1880), and Inter Graves on the Church in Peru (1/5/1894). In all he wrote over 80 encyclicals. But one of his most popular encyclical is Rerum Novarum (on Capital and Labor 15.5.1891) in which he spoke strongly about the rights of workers and against injustices in favor of human dignity. Many of the major issues addressed by Leo XIII are still relevant today. He was also a pope who promoted the missionary work. No wonder that it was under his reign that the first Catholic missionaries were sent to Uganda – the White Fathers in 1879.
Pope Leo XIV, following in the footsteps of Pope Francis, right at the initial stage of implementing the Synod on Synodality, he is on good grounds. Let us pray for our pope, Leo XIV to lead us with courage and fidelity to Christ and his teaching. Let us listen to him and walk with him under his guidance. Let us be good followers of what he stands for and what he teaches as the successor of St. Peter.
