Here’s What I Learned When I Met the Future Pope Leo XIV| National Catholic Register
As an Augustinian, the new pope embodies the synthesis of tradition and pastoral closeness taught by St. Augustine.
As the white smoke cleared and the world heard the name Leo, my heart swelled — not only with hope, but with a quiet confirmation. I had sensed, even forecasted, this moment. I know Pope Leo XIV personally. More than that, I know his heart, his charism, and his deep-rooted Augustinian spirituality. His election is not simply a choice — it’s a providential answer to the Church’s current need.
In the days leading into the conclave, two words emerged again and again in the whispers of cardinals and the prayers of the faithful: unity and clarity. These weren’t just aspirations; they were diagnostic. The Church, often fractured by division and clouded by confusion, longed for a shepherd who could unite and illuminate.
Pope Leo XIV, shaped by the Augustinian tradition, is uniquely suited to this moment. The three pillars of Augustinian spirituality are Unitas (unity), Veritas (truth) and Caritas (love) — and it is no coincidence that unity and truth directly mirror the two buzzwords of this conclave. The third, love, finds a contemporary expression in what I believe will be another guiding note of Pope Leo’s pontificate: relatability.
St. Augustine once said, “For you, I am a bishop; with you, I am a Christian.” Pope Leo has already echoed this sentiment, revealing the humble foundation of his leadership. He knows what it is to carry the authority of the Church, but also what it means to walk with others in their joys and struggles. This relatability is not a political strategy; it is the epitome of what it means to be pastoral. Relatability does not mean surrendering to cultural trends or diluting the truth — it means meeting people where they are in order to lead them where they are called to go. Echoing Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Leo understands that “the truth is not determined by majority vote,” but by the One who is Truth Himself.
Pope Leo has named himself a “bridge.” This is no idle metaphor. Pontifex Maximus (literally the “supreme bridge-builder”) is his title, but Leo means to embody it. Like Augustine before him, he seeks to span the chasms within the Church: between the traditional and the progressive, the zealous and the hesitant, the doctrinally minded and the pastorally driven. A moderate and temperate soul, he will not flatten difference but order it to service; inviting all to the same table, and calling all to be accountable in love.
His name, Leo, is not without its own resonance. It recalls Leo XIII, the great architect of Catholic Social Teaching. Leo XIII laid the foundation for two enduring principles that must shape society — subsidiarity and solidarity. Subsidiarity, with its emphasis on local decision-making and personal responsibility, often finds sympathy among the more conservative-minded. Solidarity, the call to social love, justice and friendship, has long been a favorite of more progressive dispositions.
However, Leo XIV will not let the Church play the world’s divisive games. He will remind us that Catholic teaching is never either/or, but always both/and. Subsidiarity and solidarity, truth and love, unity and clarity — these are not opposing forces, but complementary notes in the same divine symphony.
This is the promise of Pope Leo XIV. A shepherd formed by Augustine, marked by humility, driven by truth, and filled with love. A man who can walk with the people and lead them at the same time. A bridge, not just across theological camps, but across the very heart of the Church and the world.
A new day has dawned. With Leo XIV, the Church dares to hope again.
