WOF 494: What to Expect from a Pope Leo XIV Papacy

On May 8, 2025, the college of cardinals stunned the world by electing Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a native of the South Side of Chicago, as our new pope. What kind of papacy should we expect from this American pope? How should we interpret his papal name, Leo XIV, and his background as the former head of the Augustinian religious order? Are there any early signs of what his priorities will be? And how should we think about him in relation to his predecessors, including Pope Francis?

A listener asks about contemporary misunderstandings of Catholic theology.

00:00 | Introduction
01:45 | The Religious Liberty Commission
06:03 | What Rome was like during the conclave
10:27 | Before the conclave
13:06 | Defining “liberal” and “conservative” in ecclesial circles
13:53 | Why Catholic conclaves attract so much interest
16:14 | Addressing Bishop Barron’s hat
17:10 | Pope Leo XIV as first American pope
18:50 | Pope Leo XIV as first English-speaking pope
20:07 | Pope Leo XIV as first Augustinian pope
24:00 | Pope Leo XIV’s motto
25:07 | A return to the supernatural aspects of the Gospel
26:52 | The significance of Pope Leo XIV’s name
30:55 | Pope Leo XIV as a bridge
33:10 | The pressing issues before Pope Leo XIV
34:42 | Listener question: What is the most misunderstood Catholic teaching?
37:04 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

Links:

• Article: “‘Habemus Papam!’ Meet the First Pontiff from the United States”
• Article: “Pope Leo XIV and the New Social Question of AI”
• Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/

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