"To disappear so that Christ may remain, to become small so that He may be known and glorified." The quotation is taken from the first homily of Léon XIV and makes it clear that humility, service and submission are three pillars of Christian leadership.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the new pope. With a solid pastoral trajectory, a long missionary experience in Peru and an outstanding work in the Roman Curia, he becomes the 267th pope of the Catholic Church issue From the balcony of the Loggia of Blessings, in St. Peter's place at the Vatican, Leo XIV made an appeal for peace and justice, called for building bridges through dialogue and meeting, and asked for fidelity to Jesus Christ to proclaim the Gospel without fear. "With this trinomial - peace, unity, mission statement,
he addressed those present, the Christians and the world", explains the theologian Ramiro Pellitero.
Leo XIV, 69 years old, Augustinian, "smiling and affable" - as Professor Tomás Trigo points out - was bishop of Chiclayo (Peru), where he carried out an intense pastoral and missionary work . He was later appointed prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, becoming a close partner of Pope Francis. In his first message as pontiff, he evoked with affection his passage through Peru and linking that report he said: "Christ precedes us, the world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge to be reached by God and his love.
"We are in a moment of celebration for the whole Church and for the University of Navarra. In his first message, the new pope has encouraged us to dialogue and to meeting, to seek peace together. With our daily task of research, teaching and attendance we want to make these words our own and collaborate with the great mission statement of building bridges and constructing a more welcoming and just society. All the affection and prayers of all of us at the University go to Pope Leo XIV.
María Iraburu
president
Carmen José Alejos sees in Robert Prevost "a pope who knows the poverty, the tenacity, the affection of the Peruvians, who speaks and understands the language of the Latin Americans, their customs, their life, their work, their sorrows and their joys". A pope who, from his first words, has emphasized the spirit of Easter. In the same vein, "the election of a new pope also represents a new light for the Church and for the world," said Ramiro Pellitero. He also emphasized that the Pope greeted "with the peace of the risen Christ, a peace that is disarmed and disarming, humble and persevering".
With a theological perspective, Professor Alejos accredited specialization to his disposition, to his travels "on horseback to reach the most distant villages, with wellington boots in the middle of the swampy rains so frequent in the Peruvian Sierra, in a meal with children of the mission statement of Chulucanas in the 80's...". As he says, Leo XIV is"a missionary, a pastor, a bishop, close, who has shared everything with his faithful".
Back to St. Augustine, a return to roots
D. in Canon Law and a member of the Order of St. Augustine, Leo XIV combined theological depth, missionary experience and ecclesial service. "If all Catholics loved each other as brothers, it would change the face of the earth", writes Tomás Trigo. Professor Rafael Domingo goes deeper into this idea of unity. "If Francis can be called the pope of mercy; Benedict XVI, the pope of reason; John Paul II, the pope of solidarity; Leo XIV could go down in history as the pope of unity. His world leadership would bring a renewed commitment to a more united Christianity and a more peaceful humanity," he says.
For Pablo Blanco, professor of theology, "to return to St. Augustine is to return to the origins, to the roots", while alluding to the choice of the name as something "not accidental". "Leo XIII was an innovative pope in his time because he approached the real problems of the Church in the 19th century. He brought the Church closer to the working world," he says. Along the same lines, Onésimo Díaz, professor and author of 'Historia de los papas en el siglo XX', sees in the name a"tribute to the social doctrine of the Church".
A look from the classroom (I)
There are 552 Peruvian students and 355 from the United States. Some of them tell us how they felt when they learned about the election of Pope Leo XIV, how they believe his missionary experience will influence the way he leads the Church and what they expect, as young people, from his pontificate.
Guillermo Cabanillas
Peru
PhD student of the School of Economics
The maternal grandmother of Guillermo Cabanillas, PhD student of Economics, was born in the region of Piura and lived part of her life in Chulucanas, the place where Pope Leo XIV began his missionary life. Born in Trujillo, he is currently a professor at the Universidad Católica Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo (USAT) in the city of Chiclayo, where Leo XIV was Chancellor and bishop of the city's diocese.
His first feeling is one of closeness. "Photographs that have gone viral, where he is seen sharing with our people, having walked the same streets, having tasted our gastronomy. You can grade the great affection for Peru," he says. Something that, as he points out, was reflected in the message addressed to the Peruvians through his diocese of Chiclayo.
Regarding his pontificate, Guillermo believes that his missionary experience will influence his way of leading the Church. "Having arrived in Peru in the eighties was surely very complicated. Living through times of economic crisis and where terrorism was knocking at the door, surely marked his life". And he sees in his election "a call to continue strengthening the Hispanic American church".
As for the name, it generates expectations. "A cooperative in Trujillo bears the name of Leo XIII, the pope of cooperativism, of doctrine, of order, of workers and entrepreneurs. I hope that Leo XIV carries a similar message, full of peace, hope, unity and permanent reconciliation".
Katsumi Watanabe
Peru
Law School Student
"I never thought I would get to see a Pope who was Peruvian. I was extremely surprised and full of pride! To see that his first message was of thanksgiving to his diocese in Peru touched me very much. I really feel that Leo XIV's home is Peru". With these words Katsumi Watanabe, 6th year of Law and IR, sums up the election of the new Pope.
For Katsumi, he agrees with Guillermo, his missionary experience in Peru will influence his way of leading the Church. "I have talked to some acquaintances in northern Peru who knew him directly and they all agree that he is an incredibly humble and approachable character," he notes. And he adds: "Having lived in Peru, and having been in such close contact with the poverty that is the reality of many, will allow him to keep the poor as a priority".
That is why he hopes that he will continue to open the arms of the church to the poor, the marginalized and those who feel rejected. "I hope he will be courageous and fight for justice and peace throughout the world."
Shalynne Ouellette
United States
Master's Degree student in programs of study Curatoriales
Shalynne Ouellete, a U.S. Master's Degree student in curatorial programs of study , shared the wait for the election of the new pope in Berlin with a friend from Chicago. "Finding out that our new pope was someone so close to home brought us both to tears," she says. Shalynne sees similarities between the pope's experiences and her own: "Of learning a new culture, of loving a new place and a new language, and of gaining a new perspective."
He believes Pope Leo XIV's experience as a missionary in Peru will influence his leadership style. "Experiences like that, of building a community and being outside of your native culture are very moving," he relates. He ends by adding that he hopes the pope will be an example of stepping out of oneself and one's comfort zone to show love to others. "The world needs love, something that Pope Francis insisted we show, because our love is the light for the world. I hope that Pope Leo XIV will continue to encourage us in this, that love and charity come first," he concludes.