The election of Leo XIV (Robert F. Prevost) has caused a commotion among Catholics and in the world. A pope from far away, "more Latin American than the foreign debt", as one of X 's posts included some photos of the now Leo XIV: on horseback to reach the most distant villages; with wellies in the middle of swampy rains, so frequent in the Peruvian highlands; in a meal with children of the mission statement of Chulucanas in the 80s, in which the Inca Kola could not be missing; in a school receiving congratulations for his birthday... A missionary, a pastor, a bishop, close, sharing everything with his faithful.

It is surprising that in a deeply secularized society, which avoids religion and in which even some Catholics reject their faith, the news that has monopolized all the media has been, first, the death of a pope; second, the conclave and, then, the election of Francis' successor.

Numerous people gathered in St. Peter's place to see who would be on the balcony of the loggia. As Romans and tourists heard the news of the white smoke, they came along Via della Conciliazione, some literally running.

Once again we have a pope from Latin America, this time from Peru, where the faith is deeply rooted and where Holy Week, for example, has a singular beauty, with processional floats dating back to the 17th century. A pope who knows the poverty, the tenacity, the affection of the Peruvians, whom he addressed in Spanish. It was an emotional moment for millions of Spanish speakers: it was their pope, speaking to them in their language.

He is a pope who speaks and understands the language of Latin Americans, their customs, their life, their work, their sorrows and their joys. The Latin American Church that has been on pilgrimage since the 16th century has much to contribute, even if Europe and the United States are reluctant to lose their protagonism.

The faith took root in Latin America in a way only comparable to the evangelization of the first three centuries of our era, when the expansion throughout the Roman Empire was growing and permeating millions of people. The North American sociologist Rodney Stark explains it very well in his book The Expansion of Christianity.

Many Europeans, priests and lay people still think that Latin American theology is only liberation theology. It is undeniable the influence that this Marxist theology had in America and Spain and how some sectors still think in this way. However, in Latin America a non-Marxist liberation theology was developed; among others, the theology of the people, which influenced the ecclesial magisterium, especially that of Francis.

It is very necessary to study the thoughts and pastoral documents of so many Latin American bishops who for decades, even in the hardest decades, marred by political, social and religious conflicts, maintained the course of faith, charity and hope throughout the American continent. In a quiet, silent work...

The newly elected Leo XIV is a witness to all this. Forged in prayer, in the spirit of St. Augustine, in the joy of those who have nothing and have everything, in the battles against poverty and exclusion. Robert Prevost's life sample us that the dichotomies that are often used in Latin America do not exist: either one is a pastoral priest or an academic. A dichotomy that gives primacy to the pastoral in front of an adequate and solid human, theological and canonical training .

However, if a shepherd leads sheep into a field without pasture, they all end up dying. We have seen it in Latin America. The new pontiff combines something essential in the Church: the importance of having serious programs of study in order to be able to carry out the task as a pastor. One without the other only leads to sterility.