Melissa Wilde of the Department of Sociology, whose research has led her to the Vatican Secret Archive, among other places, discusses the new Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, and the implications for the Roman Catholic Church.
3 min. read
Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Basilica after being chosen the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on May 8.
(Image: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Melissa Wilde, a Penn sociologist and scholar of religious change, told media before the conclave to select the new pope began that an American pope could be “the wild card.”Penn Today spoke with her about the selection of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Robert Prevost, and what his leadership will mean for the Catholic Church and the world.
What do we know about Pope Leo XIV? Is he seen as a conservative who will return to more traditional theology, or someone more in the relatively progressive mold of Pope Francis?
It’s always hard to know exactly how a pope will embody his role, but I don’t think there’s any question that the church has chosen to follow in Francis’ footsteps here, in terms of the focus on the poor and peace. Those are the two things he’s already known for.
What do we know about his priorities in his prior roles—as head of the Augustinian order, as an archbishop in Peru, and his recent roles with the Vatican—and what that may mean for his direction for the church?
The continued focus on the poor is probably the most important thing, and it’s incredibly reassuring from a global perspective. Regarding women and LGBTQ issues, he hasn’t said anything publicly, as far as I can tell, in more than a decade. I suspect it won’t be radical in either direction and that there will be an attempt to reduce the focus on gender, sexuality, and possibly even reproduction, and, as Francis did, refocus the church on other priorities.
Nearly 50% of the world Catholic population are from the Americas. Pope Leo is the second pope to have close ties to South America and also the first from the U.S., born in Chicago and educated at Villanova University. What does his papacy mean for the Americas?
It suggests an overall awareness of geopolitical concerns associated with migrants, for sure. In general, everyone loves their pope; in this regard, he has multiple constituencies so the U.S. is going to be thrilled, and the South American church is going to be thrilled as well.
I can’t help but think that this is an opportunity to stand up for some of the trends that we see happening around the globe. It will be interesting the extent to which he continues to push Francis’ agenda, particularly on the climate and migrants. It seems to me that he is likely to. Before being elected, the new pope had already criticized the new administration. There is no question that played a role in his election.
In the new pope’s remarks, he called himself a son of St. Augustine. What can you tell us about the Augustinian order?
Augustinians are known for being intellectuals and social justice-oriented, as are Jesuits, Pope Francis’ order. They should be familiar to Philadelphians, as the founders of Villanova University, which I’m sure is celebrating today!
Pope Leo is 69 years old, which gives him a relatively long potential tenure. What does his age mean for the church?
It means that he was a fairly easy consensus candidate, which is also suggested by the quickness of the conclave. Without easy consensus, I don’t think that the cardinals would have gone for someone so young. The solution would have been to select someone who’s older. I think that shows his broad support, as best anyone can estimate from outside the conclave.
Your work includes a book on Vatican II and change within the church. What is important to understand about the institution of the Catholic Church, and how it responds and changes to a new pope and the power of a new Pope to shape it in the way he wants?
You can’t overstate the importance of a pope in terms of direction and vitality and excitement, but a pope is actually limited in terms of long-lasting change. It takes a council to make real doctrinal change. Vatican II was so important because it required all of the bishops in the world to gather and vote on reforms. It created incredible opportunities for the church in terms of global legitimacy and is one of the reasons why the pope is as well respected today as a global leader. It took the Declaration on Religious Freedom for a pope to be invited to give a speech at the United Nations.
A pope that wants to see real change knows that the way to make that happen is to call a council. Only a pope can call a council. I thought that Francis might; Leo may choose to go in that direction.
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