E.J. Dionne Jr.: With Leo, there’s no going back from Francis

The selection of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, means there will be no turning back from the direction charted by Pope Francis, who made Prevost a cardinal in 2023.

The first American pope was shaped by his experience of global Catholicism and deeply influenced by two decades serving the poor and leading a diocese in Peru. The new pope’s commitment to social justice is reflected in the name he chose: the last Pope Leo authored the pro-worker 1891 encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” which laid the groundwork for a century of Catholic social teaching.

Since the new pope’s Vatican responsibilities involved picking bishops around the world, the politicians in his hometown of Chicago might say, he had a strong base.

In his first public address as pontiff, Leo signaled his support for Francis’ belief in a “listening” or “synodal” church, built on grassroots consultation with the faithful.

“We want to be a synodal church,” Leo said, “walking and always seeking peace, charity, closeness, especially to those who are suffering.”

He will be the first leader of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics with a robust social media history. That history suggests Leo will not be afraid to take issue with the policies of President Donald Trump, even though, as The Post reported, he voted in Illinois Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Within minutes of the pope’s selection, the internet buzzed with his February tweet, which linked to a story in the liberal National Catholic Reporter that criticized Vice President JD Vance’s comments on immigration.

“JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” read the headline captured in the new pope’s tweet. Vance had argued that love for family, neighborhood, community and nation took priority over love directed to “the rest of the world.”

Leo’s own connections to “the rest of the world” are underscored by his dual citizenship – born in the United States, he also took Peruvian citizenship. Whether he seeks it or not, this pope will inevitably play an oversize role in American policy debates and reflections across denominations over what it means to be a Christian.

His core beliefs were immediate cause for celebration among pro-Francis Catholics and other progressives in the U.S. “At the very beginning, he demonstrated commitment to Francis’ legacy, calling for peace, dialogue and justice,” said John Carr, founder of Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. “He chose Leo XIV to make clear commitment to Catholic social teaching.” Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also praised the name choice as a sign of good things to come.

But Pope Leo is no carbon copy of Pope Francis. The remarkable speed of his selection pointed to a sense among middle-of-the-road cardinals that he could be a conciliator in a divided church. The new pontiff signaled this intention himself by talking about “bridges” and building them three times in his opening address. Some in their ranks clearly welcomed a careful man who will not be inclined toward Francis’ ebullient, spontaneous declarations and the previous pope’s habits of teaching by way of interviews with journalists.

Like Francis, Leo disdains clerical arrogance. He once told the Vatican’s website that “the bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom.” But appearing from the papal balcony before the crowds in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday wearing customary church vestments was a potentially reassuring moment for traditionalists. The Roman Curia will be comfortable with him, but his background as a missionary and a leader of the Augustinian order was clearly more formative for him than his Vatican service.

It is hard to read where the new pope will lead on LGBTQ+ rights and the role of women in the church, important issues everywhere but particularly in the American church. His past statements and closeness to bishops from the Global South – who tend to be more conservative on these questions – suggest little innovation. But his support for the synodal process and for modest advances in women’s roles in the church under Francis might leave open some doors to change.

There is also some irony that the first American pope chose the name Leo. Despite Leo XIII’s progressive stances on labor issues, he issued statements strongly critical of aspects of American Catholic thinking that were influenced by modernity. The object of Leo’s concern came to be seen as a quasi-heresy called “Americanism.”

American Catholic bishops pushed aside the controversy, insisting that none of the ideas condemned by Leo XIII was actually being taught by the U.S. church. Later, in the 1960s, American ideas about democracy and religious freedom would have an important influence on the Second Vatican Council.

Pope Leo XIV’s election might be seen as the decisive settlement of the “Americanism” controversy.

The new pope might have important and critical things to say back to the leadership of the nation that nurtured him. He promises to be an important voice for social justice, international solidarity – and bridge building.