Spokane’s Bishop Daly intrigued by selection of Pope Leo XIV

Spokane Catholic Bishop Thomas Daly learned that cardinals had picked the first American pope while he was anchored in a dentist’s chair for a teeth cleaning.

Daly noted that while Pope Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Francis Robert Prevost, gave his opening statement, the Chicago native spoke Italian and Latin in scripted remarks and Spanish in an unscripted speech.

“As an American, I would have expected him to give a message in English. A priest friend of mine in Boston said the same thing,” Daly said.

The Roman Catholic Church’s 267th pope had strong ties to the late Pope Francis. However, Daly said he’s seen subtle, but important, differences within the first moments he was named pope on Thursday.

“We can be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges, that is always open to receive everyone – just like in this square, to welcome everyone, in charity, dialogue and love,” Pope Leo XIV said moments after he was introduced to the world.

Daly, 65, who was named bishop in Spokane by Pope Francis in 2015, said he was not aware of Prevost, now Pope Leo, until January 2023.

That’s when Francis named him to lead what had been known as the Congregation for Bishops, which is the Vatican department responsible for overseeing the selection of most new bishops.

Francis also, just prior to naming Prevost, changed that department’s name to the Dicastery for Bishops. Francis appointed Prevost to replace Cardinal Marc Ouellet, of Montreal, who served in that role under Francis and Pope Benedict XVI.

A few months after naming Prevost to head the Dicastery for Bishops, Francis made him a cardinal, which at age 69, put him in a position to be elected pope by his peers.

“I’ve never met him,” Daly said of Prevost. “I had read about him when he took over for Cardinal Ouellet. We thought that was unusual, as an American and from a small religious order.”

The distinct Catholic religious orders include the Franciscan, Jesuit, Dominican and Augustinian orders. Pope Leo is an Augustinian.

Each are known for a different emphasis. For instance, Jesuits tend to focus on education and social justice. Gonzaga University, and several other U.S. colleges, were founded by Jesuits.

Daly said the Augustinians, who focus on strong community life and emphasis on prayer, have only one school associated with their order: Villanova University, located near Philadelphia.

While born in Chicago, Pope Leo, known as the “Latin Yankee,” spent two decades working with Peru’s poorest communities. His commitment there echoed the legacy of Pope Francis, an Argentine who became the Catholic Church’s first leader from South America.

“He’s right out of Francis’ playbook,” Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame who focuses on U.S. Catholics, told the Washington Post. “He ticks off all the boxes of a future pope: a pastoral heart, managerial experience and vision.”

But Daly noted some clear differences. The first came with the selection of his first clothing.

When he was introduced, Pope Leo wore a bright red shoulder covering and an ornately decorated stole. Pope Francis chose all white garments.

“That was kind of a clear sign that he was going to be more traditional in his appearance,” Daly said. “I also heard that he is going to be moving back to the Apostolic Palace, not the (Vatican guesthouse) that Francis lived in. He’s already his own man.”

As for the selection, several prognosticators had predicted the ascension of Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, or perhaps the first Asian or African pope, Daly said.

However, Daly also read that the church politics around Francis and Parolin’s pact with the church in China that aligns with the communist party may have left some bad blood that manifested in the vote counts.

He also read that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, had lobbied other cardinals on Prevost’s behalf.

“It probably united the third-world cardinals to see that, although he was an American, he spent a lot of time in the missions,” he said.

In that regard, Daly said he expects Pope Leo to be especially sensitive to the plight of immigrants during a time when President Donald Trump has made removing many of them a central them of his administration.

Prevost “became a Peruvian citizen. He may not speak as much about it because he probably sees the importance of borders,” Daly said. “He has tweeted out comments that are not favorable of President Trump and Vice President Vance, but he’s a Republican.

“Being from Chicago and a Republican is very unusual. That goes against the perceived demographic. I’m not sure what he’ll say on immigration, but that’s part of it.”

In yet another break from the previous pope, Prevost chose the name Leo, which has been used by 13 previous popes.

“That’s an old-school name. It’s not Francis the II or a completely new name,” Daly said. “There is a significance with it.”

Although Leo delivered a message of peace, he also alluded to conflict around the world and even the conflict within the church, Daly said.

“It’s early. It’s a surprise,” Daly said of Leo’s selection. “We just have to hope and pray. The church, I think today, needs greater unity.

“It always has to be a church of mercy and hope,” he continued. “But we also need teaching with clarity and charity because these are times of great relativism and confusion.”