With the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, the College of Cardinals sent a clear message of continuity with the reformist agenda of his predecessor, Pope Francis. But despite Leo’s reputation as having a quieter, more disciplined personality than that of Francis, the conservative ire that has roiled Catholicism during the previous pontificate is likely to continue with this first American pope.
Traditionalist Catholics, especially in the United States — where much of the opposition to Francis was based — had yearned for a new pope who would rein in or even reverse changes that Francis made to foster a more inclusive church, where authority was shared and everyone could be heard.
Francis’ favorite vehicle for those reforms goes by a bit of church jargon: synodality. It’s a term much bandied about but little understood. It refers to the gathering of church leaders and members to discuss and debate urgent issues. For Francis it meant bringing together bishops and lay people, women and young people — and yes, the pope — to speak openly and as equals about issues that would have been barred from discussion, much less consideration of solutions, in the past. Many conservatives read into how Francis conceived of synodality a veritable heresy that sowed confusion and ambiguity among the faithful. It was a manipulative way of changing the church, his critics believed.
Conservatives ramped up their oratory in the days leading up to the conclave. They made it clear that if the cardinals did not produce a pope more to their liking — demands couched in euphemistic terms like a need for “unity” and “clarity” — a schism in the church could be the result. But the cardinals made it clear they would not give in to a heckler’s veto.
When Leo emerged onto the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica immediately after his election on Thursday, he told the roaring crowd in his characteristically deliberate manner that, “We want to be a synodal church.” You could almost hear the air going out of the opposition’s sails. Leo will very likely be more understated than Francis, and make every effort to reconcile with those who may disagree with him. But by all accounts he is very determined. If he does walk through the door of reform that Francis opened, then it’s anyone’s guess how long any reconciliation with traditionalists that he is able to establish will last.
Leo has generally kept a low profile but has made it clear that reforms are at the heart of his vision of the church.
