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S Cardinal Robert Prevost’s election as Pope Leo XIV has raised hopes for peace around the world.
“I renew my appeal to allow the entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, whose heartbreaking price is paid by the children, the elderly and the sick.” Pope Leo XIV made this appeal toward the conclusion of his first General Audience in St Peter’s Square on May 21. In his remarks to Italian pilgrims, he said, “The situation in the Gaza Strip is increasingly worrying and painful.”
Before focusing on the new pope, let us first take a look at the history of this office.
At the Council of Nicaea in 325 ACE, all shades of the Christian dogma agreed to associate with the term Catholic because it meant “all-encompassing” or “universal” (Greek, katholikos). Ever since the Council of Nicaea, the term Catholic Church was incorporated in the Creed of Apostles which is part of the Christian prayer services around the world regardless of denominational differences. In 2025, Google counts over 45,000 Christian denominations in the world, using various identities but the best known is the Roman Catholic Church.
Despite its literal meaning, Catholicism or the Roman Catholic Church is now considered more orthodox than most other denominations, especially, due to its strict position on the inviolability of Christian marriage (no divorce); the gender preference and celibacy of priests; and the resistance to the legalisation of abortion.
The Catholic Church has withstood the internal changes such as the reformation movements of the 16th Century that gave birth to many protestant denominations. It has also survived great political upheavals challenging the church’s position, such as the French Revolution (1789-1799).
The pope’s unique position as head of the Roman Catholic Church and an heir to St Peter, the chief apostle of Christ Jesus (peace be upon him) makes his office not only a supreme spiritual authority of the largest faith community in the world but also a moral force that the entire human society looks up to, to speak on their behalf on issues of the common good.
In the past couple of centuries, popes have issued papal documents, encyclicals and letters to the faithful to guide them on issues related to faith and everyday life. Many of these public documents are called Catholic Social Teachings and taught in the seminaries etc and form the basis of Church’s involvement in social action, i.e. human rights, charitable and humanitarian activity. The foremost of these documents, Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labour), was issued on May 15, 1891, by Pope Leo XIII. The document underlined the dignity of human labour in the wake of the Industrial Revolution and laid the groundwork for the Church’s ongoing social teachings. Although Rerum Novarum came 43 years after the Communist Manifesto (by Karl Max and Friedrich Engels) when the world had already moved in this direction, it carried huge importance as moral conscience of the world.
In the following decades, the popes made efforts to make the papal engagements more relevant to the contextual realities. The popes spoke out on moral and human issues, regardless of their acceptance, for instance on the right to life, opposition to war and banning weapons of mass destruction and biological tests.
The historical event of Vatican Council II (1962-1965) pioneered by Pope John XXIII and concluded by Pope Paul VI, brought hundreds of leaders of the Church to Rome to develop some consensus documents that nearly transformed the outlook of the Catholics, from the use of local languages for daily prayers to relationships of the Catholics with other faith groups. The task was arduous because the new understanding had to be based on theology. Some reinterpretation of the Gospel’s message was inevitable. Importantly, the Council recognized “the elements of truth and goodness found in other religions,” promoting a more inclusive and respectful approach to inter-religious relations.
The new pope, the 267th head of the Catholic Church, has chosen to be called Pope Leo XIV. Taking the name of Pope Leo XIII, the pioneer of the modern outlook in the Catholic Church, suggests that he aspires to address outstanding issues such as wars in Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan; the erosion of civil liberties; and the exploitation of economic orders as a priority.
“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of dignified humanitarian aid to Gaza and to put an end to the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is being paid by children, the elderly and sick people,” says Pope Leo XIV.
The remarkable humility and compassion for the poor, the neglected and the marginalised, shown by his mentor, Pope Francis, inspired a wide range of people, so much so, that many people began to feel the “Francis Effect” in a turbulent world. He took a clear position on climate change, human rights abuses, poverty, migration and human trafficking etc. Although this effect was not in the political sphere, for instance, his visit to the United States of America in 2015 did not help Catholics in the US (roughly 20 percent) come to a common understanding on a variety of issues. In one instance, to end his frustration with long-standing political issues, John Boehner, the Catholic speaker of the House of Representatives, found it comforting to offer his resignation the day after he hosted Pope Francis’s address to the House in 2015. In a way, the incident underlined the primacy of high moral ground over power.
The Obama administration was also unable to use Pope Francis’s visit to their advantage. Within two months of his visit, the Catholic electorate joined the religious right to elect President Donald Trump. This shows that the Francis Effect was not about dictating the Catholic electorate on how to vote; it was about calling them to their moral duty to be active on issues of justice and peace.
Given his US background and approach, Pope Leo XIV is bound to have indirect influence on the political and intellectual discourse in the US. The Leo Effect could possibly cause further polarisation. Else, the Catholics could draw closer on social and political issues.
Dr Rubina Feroze Bhatti, who has studied in the US and specialises in the subject of leadership, happens to know people who were close to Pope Leo before his election. She says she is very optimistic about the prospect. “Pope Leo XIV is being received with a cheerful hope by the global Catholic community, particularly the American Catholics, who see him as a leader uniquely positioned to understand their challenges and aspirations. They look up to him for moral guidance, compassionate leadership and meaningful reforms in the Church. His early focus on the human dignity of migrants and his strong condemnation of religious intolerance reflect a deep pastoral vision rooted in the concept of justice, dialogue and global solidarity. In a polarised world, his papacy signals a promising step toward a more inclusive and responsive Church.”
Generally speaking, the new pope stands on a well-built legacy of invoking common good and common ground. He does not have to look as revolutionary as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. Nevertheless, if his first press conference is a clue, he is likely to be upright on the pressing global human issues. He called for freeing the detained journalists, emphasising the need to “disarm the word to disarm the world.” He did not use the popular vocabulary of “right to freedom of expression” but his choice of issues to address reflects the deep importance he attaches to the civil liberties in the current situation.
Dr Yaqoob Khan Bangash, a Catholic historian of Pakistan, expects that women appointed to high positions in the Church by Pope Francis shall be retained and that more women will be appointed in non-clerical positions.
“Relations with China have come to a head again and religious freedom around the world is under extreme threat. This needs to be addressed. I hope that Pope Leo, like Pope Francis, will continue to support the Palestinian people in their rightful struggle.” Bangash also urged the pope to reach out to lapsed Catholics around the world with compassion and understanding.
In his homily in the inaugural mass on May 18, the new pope criticised “hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest”.
God bless this voice, the moral conscience of humanity. Pope Leo has the goodwill and support of billions of people around the world who dream to build a human society free from suffering and exploitation inflicted by unjust systems and unjust distribution of nature’s precious resources. Best wishes and God bless you, Pope Leo XIV.
The author is a researcher, human rights defender and freelance journalist. He can be reached at; jacobpetegmail.comand on X PeterJacobCSJ