Pope Leo XIV makes up for the masses with the mass of the Cardinal School, which was on Friday the second day after his election at the Sistine Church. Vatican Media/AP Closed subtitles
Pope Leo has become history and is the first American pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church in history. But how did he shape the institution?
Robert Francis Prevost was elected Thursday after a two-day meeting to replace the late Pope Francis, a progressive pope known for his commitment to social justice.
While Pope Leo is considered a centrist, he shares some of his views on some of his views, including the environment and propaganda to immigration.
Leo is also known for being the first Augustine monk to lead the church. St. Augustine's order dates back to 1244, and he said it has about 2,800 members in 47 countries. Their three core values are "truth, unity and love".
"So Leo XIV is a fundamental value," said Robert Hagan, provincial in the province of St. Thomas, Villanova, to NPR. "Francis talked about synchronization, listen.
Leo’s history of public comments and social media can be traced back to years and helps portray his position on certain issues.
For example, he said at a Vatican press conference in 2023: "Our job is to expand the tent and let everyone know that they are welcomed in the church." In an interview the following year, he responded to Francis's view that the bishop was "summoned to serve."
“The Bishop should not be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but is truly called humility, approaching the people he serves, walking with them, suffering with them, and looking for ways he could better live in the gospel among his people,” among the people at that time, this was the 2024 Watney news.
Here is what Pope Leo has said to many questions in the past (from LGBTQ+ Catholics to climate change), although it is unclear whether his views have changed since then or whether they have clearly pointed out how he will guide how he will guide the world's billion-dollar Catholic faithfulness.
Like his ex, Leo opposes the idea of arranging a deaconess. As he told reporters at a meeting in 2023, this is consistent with thousands of years of Catholic understanding.
"It's also important to say that some women - some women say it's interesting - 'The clergy'' does not necessarily solve the problem, which could bring about a new problem," he said.
Meanwhile, he touted Francis’ efforts to increase participation and visibility of women in Vatican, such as appointing several women to outstanding leadership positions. In fact, Francis appointed the present church to oversee one of his most revolutionary reforms: three women were added to the office that reviewed the bishop’s nomination in 2022.
Leo added: “I think it will continue to be recognized that women can add a lot to the life of the church on many different levels.”
Francis is known for his efforts to make the church more open to members of the LGBTQ community, but famously asked: "Who should I judge?" - Leo may not follow in his footsteps.
In his 2012 speech, Leo promoted “a huge sympathy for beliefs and practices that contradict the gospel”, especially citing abortion, “a homosexual lifestyle” and “an alternative families of same-sex couples and their adopted children.”
Leo's view on the Vatican 2023 document Confidence in the plea - This allows for non-ruling blessings for same-sex couples, and also allows for ambiguity. Instead of fully endorsing or rejecting the document, he stressed the need for the National Bishops’ Council to interpret such guidance in its local cultural context.
During his eight years as bishop in the Peruvian city of Chiclayo, he opposed the government's plan to add doctrine about gender in schools.
He told the Peruvian newspaper: "The idea of promoting gender ideology is confusing because it tries to create a gender that does not exist. Therefore, God created people and women, and attempts to confuse natural ideas will only hurt families and people." Email newspaper.
He went on to say that people should “respect everyone’s dignity, including the possible choices of adults.”
“It will cause a lot of confusion to talk about identity and sexual orientation with children who have not yet achieved sufficient development,” he added.
Like his predecessor, Leo has been vocal about climate change. In his speech in 2024, he called on the church to “from words to actions.”
The warning of the “harmful” effects of technological development at the time reiterated the Vatican’s commitment to protecting the environment, pointing out that Pope Francis installed solar panels and transferred them to electric vehicles.
Leo says that human "natural domination" should not be "tyranny", but a "reciprocity" with the environment.
Leo spent most of her career in Peru and had dual citizenship there.
Jesus Leon Angeles, a coordinator of the Catholic group in Chiclayo and has known the current church since 2018, told Reuters that he is particularly concerned about Venezuelan immigrants in Peru.
“He is a person who loves to help,” he said.
The UN Refugee Agency said that more than 1.5 million Venezuelans living in Peru make it one of the largest hosts of refugees fleeing humanitarian and economic crises.
Pope Francis advocates the rights of immigrants and refugees, often reminding people that he is the descendant of immigrants. He has publicly criticized the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration for years, and recently called his massive deportation plan a “major crisis” in a letter to the U.S. Catholic bishop in February.
Leo is from Chicago and voted to pass the 2024 elections in 2012, 2014 and 2016, according to the voting records obtained by Politico. Illinois voters are not registered as party members, so he is listed as "undeclared" and it is unclear who he votes for.
Occasional tweets and retweets on Leo X's account may provide more clues to his political views.
His recent retweet criticized immigrants who had no legal status for the Trump administration’s partnership with El Salvador, citing a bishop asking: “Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you keep quiet?”
In February, he posted links to two experts, disagreeing with Vice President Vance's February comments on the Christian ranks of romance, which were widely criticized by Pope Francis. A Leo tweet repeated the title: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus does not ask us to rank the love of others.”
Leo also shared information against the death penalty, supporting vaccination during the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, and forwarding prayers.
“We need to hear more from church leaders, reject racism and seek justice,” he tweeted at the time.
Online detectives dig out earlier tweets on his feed, criticizing the first Trump administration, including its family separation policy, the effort to repeal the action to defer childhood arrivals (DACA) and Trump’s “bad people” comments.
With his social media posts emerging, some right-wing figures in the U.S. media quickly criticized the new pope, and Trump Ally Laura Loomer called him "the pope who awakens Marxism." Trump himself congratulated Leo on Thursday.
"It's an honor to realize that he is the first pope in the United States," the president wrote. "What excitement is an honor for our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo. It will be a very meaningful moment!"