pOPE LEO XIV (born Robert Prevost) was the first American pope. His election signal on May 8 is a transformation of the church's world order - a transformation that many don't think will happen soon. But with a reality that once could not have been possible, Pope Leo XIV must now choose how he will lead the church and about 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, and how it can be established on the work of Pope Francis.

Pope Francis, who died on April 21, at the age of 88, is known for prioritizing inclusion (if imperfect inclusion) and works to globalize the Catholic Church. During his 12-year tenure, he achieved many achievements, including making the Cardinal College more global, making the Catholic Church more inclusive, and concentrating the Vatican in a climate emergency.

However, this does not mean that his challenges are not abundant, and that the new pope has no complicated legacy to deal with.

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Here are some of the challenges the newly elected Pope Leo Xiv faced when he occupied the Pope's cloak. The world will see whether he follows Francis’s footsteps or revolutionizes the priorities of the Catholic community like his predecessors.

LGBTQ+Catholic

Pope Francis started his more inclusive Pope by coping with the pressures of more conservative Catholic churches, especially the Pope in the United States, who advocated for the poor, immigration and the environment, and his more nuanced views on LGBTQ+ individuals in churches and gay marriages.

Although Francis never changed the official doctrine of the church, he included the LGBTQ Catholic Church more publicly than the Pope saw, supporting civil unions and meeting LGBTQ+ groups.

"If someone is gay, he will search for the Lord and have good intentions, who should I judge?" Francis famously said in 2013, a bombshell of quotes.

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Francis ruled in 2023 that Roman Catholic priests could provide blessings to same-sex couples, and earlier that year he signed a document that allowed trans people to be baptized and serve as godfathers.

Although these are landmark decisions, they are not without prices. Francis had to confront his reform and bureaucracy deeply angry conservatives, with bureaucracy fighting teeth and nails to prevent this from happening. Pope Leo XIV now has to decide whether he will follow the path of Francis continuing to include LGBTQ Catholics or to draw different courses. Although New York era The new pope reportedly was not as popular as Francis when it comes to gay Catholics, citing in 2012 that some Western values ​​expressed sympathy for things that were “contradicting the gospel”, pointing to the “gay way of life.” However, time will tell whether Pope Lion Fourteen’s leadership at the highest level will differ from these comments before Francis’ recent reforms.

Sexual abuse

Francis his Former Pope Benedict XVI. During the first few years of the pope, Francis was criticized for failing to act against sexual abuse in the church, but in the following years he tried to reform his policies. He was even quoted as telling the victims of Chile's crimes that he himself "is part of the problem" and apologized for dismissing the allegations covered up by the Catholic bishop.

In 2019, Francis publicly acknowledged the issue of abuse of women by pastors and bishops, and warned against psychological and mental abuse of sisters.

The history of sexual abuse in the Catholic community and its coordinated efforts to cover these instances remain an ongoing issue. This is a Pope Leo XIV that will not be avoided. Become the Pope while leading the diocese of Chiclayo, a network of survivors abused by pastors, an advocate for the abuse of the group, accusing Pope Leo Xiv (Born Prevost) of covering up sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.

Since he leads the entire religious community, Pope Leo XIV's priorities in addressing and taking allegations of sexual abuse against priests and other Catholic leaders will be further scrutinized.

Women in church

Pope Francis' inclusive tent included in the church towards a more equal movement - with the decline of nuns over the past few decades, equality is equal.

In 2023, Francis allowed women to vote in a major meeting of the bishops, a profound reform chaired by the new Pope Leo Xiv. But the Pope will have to deal with a broader question that Francis has no solution to the role of women in the church, including one of the most intense ongoing debates: whether women should be allowed to become deacons, if ultimately this is their avenue to become pastors.

Geographical diversity of Catholic communities