The election of Pope Leo drew observations from faculty members throughout the university.
“The new pope strikes me as a humble man who will continue Pope Francis' emphasis on being a listening church, not just a teaching church,” says
Bill Cavanaugh, professor of Catholic studies. “He was born here, but has spent much of his life in fairly remote parts of Peru, where he developed a reputation for being close to the poor and for a collaborative style of leadership.”
Mark Potosnak, professor of environmental science, says, “I would expect Pope Leo to champion environmental issues and carry on the ideas expressed in Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si.’ By selecting the name Pope Leo XIV, the new pope is emphasizing Catholic social teaching, and he will likely focus on the connection of social and environmental justice.”
Pope Leo XIV graduated from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago, a DePaul partner, where he studied theology.
“Our students at DePaul often think – for completely understandable reasons – that popes are somewhat otherworldly figures with whom they have little, if anything, in common. Pope Leo, though, has a lot in common with our students,”
Scott Moringiello, chair and associate professor of Catholic studies, says.
Moringiello remarks, “Like many of them, he’s from the Chicagoland area. Like all of them, he earned his degree from a BIG EAST university. The Latin word for Pope is ‘pontifex,’ which means bridge builder. True to that title, Pope Leo talked about building bridges in his first message to the world. With this pope, the bridge between him and us is just a bit shorter than we would have imagined.”
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Rev. Christopher Robinson, C.M., a faculty member in religious studies, notes, “My hope is that Pope Leo XIV, as an American, can provide a global impact rooted in Catholic social teaching, including the dignity of the human person, and solidarity with the migrant perspective.”
“He seems to be a unifying figure, so I look forward to his pontificate for the global perspective and kindness he seems to bring to the role,” Robinson says.
“In Pope Leo’s first greeting to the world, he spoke of peace, dialogue and building bridges,” says
Rev. Stan Chu Ilo, associate professor of Catholic Studies. “This strikes me as reflective of his missionary spirit and openness to the movement of the Spirit in history, and a deep appreciation of the rich diversity and cultural pluralism in World Catholicism.”
“It is my hope and prayer that this well-traveled missionary Pope will continue the legacy of Pope Francis in promoting Gospel non-violence and work with other religious leaders and people of goodwill in courageously building our common future on radical inclusion of all of God’s people and global fraternity,” Chu Ilo says.
One aspect of Pope Leo XIV's first speech that merits further attention is his quotation from St. Augustine, says Paula McQuade, a professor of Catholic Studies and English.
"I am a son of Saint Augustine, (an) Augustinian, who said: 'With you I am a Christian and for you a bishop.'"
"With this quote, Pope Leo gestures to St. Augustine's well-known reluctance to assume a position of leadership within the church. Augustine, a fourth century Roman from North Africa, didn't want to become a bishop and is reported to have wept continuously during his ordination. He accepted the bishopric as an act of service for his fellow Christians," McQuade says.
"By quoting Augustine, Pope Leo signals that like the founder of his order, he has accepted the papacy not because of its prestige, but as an act of service for others. His will be a papacy which seeks the good of the global Church," she adds.