Pope Leo XIV has already made history, as the first-ever American-born pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church. But how might he shape the institution?
Robert Francis Prevost was elected on Thursday after a two-day conclave to succeed the late Pope Francis — a progressive pontiff who was known for his commitment to social justice.
While Pope Leo is considered a centrist, he shares some of his predecessor's views, including those about the environment and outreach to migrants.
Leo is also notable for being the first Augustinian friar to lead the church. The Order of St. Augustine, which dates back to 1244, says it has some 2,800 members throughout 47 countries. Its three core values are "truth, unity and love."
"And so, Leo XIV has been formed on those foundational values," the Rev. Robert Hagan, prior provincial of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, told NPR. "Francis spoke a lot about synodality, to listen. I think Pope Leo XIV is someone who is also willing to listen to the voices on the margins."
Leo's public comments and social media presence dating back years help paint a picture of his stances on certain issues.
At a 2023 Vatican news conference, for example, he said, "Our work is to enlarge the tent and to let everyone know they are welcome inside the church." In an interview the following year, he echoed Francis' view that a bishop is "called to serve."
"The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them, to suffer with them and to look for ways that he can better live the Gospel message in the midst of his people," the then-cardinal told Vatican News in 2024.
Here's what Pope Leo has said in the past about a number of issues, from LGBTQ+ Catholics to climate change — though it's not clear whether his views have changed since or whether they are clear indicators of how he will guide the world's billion-plus Catholic faithful.
Equality for women
Like his predecessor, Leo opposes the idea of ordaining female deacons. That's in keeping with thousands of years of Catholic understanding, as he told journalists at a 2023 conference.
"Something that needs to be said also is that ordaining women — and there's been some women that have said this interestingly enough — 'clericalizing women' doesn't necessarily solve a problem, it might make a new problem," he said.
At the same time, he touted Francis' efforts to increase women's participation and visibility in the Vatican, such as by appointing several women to prominent leadership roles. In fact, Francis tasked the now-pope with overseeing one of his most revolutionary reforms: adding three women to the office that vets bishop nominations, in 2022.
"I think there will be a continuing recognition of the fact that women can add a great deal to the life of the church on many different levels," Leo added.
LGBTQ+ Catholics
While Francis was known for his efforts to make the church more open to members of the LGBTQ+ community — famously asking, "Who am I to judge?" — Leo may not follow in his footsteps.
In a 2012 address, Leo expressed concern that Western culture promotes "enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel," specifically referencing abortion, the "homosexual lifestyle" and "alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children."
Leo's views on the Vatican's 2023 document "Fiducia Supplicans" — which permits nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples, among others — are also ambiguous. He did not wholly endorse or reject the document, instead emphasizing the need for national bishops conferences to have the authority to interpret such guidance within their local cultural context.
During his eight-year tenure as a bishop in the Peruvian city of Chiclayo, he opposed a government plan to add teachings on gender in schools.
"The idea of promoting gender ideology is confusing because it seeks to create genders that don't exist. So God created man and woman, and the attempt to confuse ideas from nature will only harm families and people," he told the Peruvian newspaper Diario Correo.
He went on to say that people should "respect the dignity of each person, including the options that adult persons may have."
"To talk about matters of identity and sexual orientation with a child who hasn't yet reached a sufficient age of development will create much confusion," he added.
Climate change
Leo — like his predecessor — has been outspoken about the need to confront climate change. In 2024 remarks, he called for the church to move "from words to action."
The then-cardinal cautioned against the "harmful" effects of technological development and reaffirmed the Vatican's commitments to protecting the environment, pointing to Pope Francis' installation of solar panels and shift to electric vehicles as examples.
Leo said humanity's "dominion over nature" should not be "tyrannical," but rather a "relationship of reciprocity" with the environment.
Migrants
Leo spent most of his career in Peru and holds dual citizenship there.
Jesus Leon Angeles, the coordinator of a Catholic group in Chiclayo who has known the now-pope since 2018, told Reuters that he showed special concern for Venezuelan migrants in Peru.
"He is a person who likes to help," he said.
The U.N. refugee agency says over 1.5 million forcibly displaced Venezuelans are living in Peru, making it one of the largest host countries for refugees fleeing the humanitarian and economic crisis there.
Pope Francis advocated vocally for the rights of migrants and refugees, often reminding people that he was a descendant of immigrants himself. He publicly criticized the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration over the years, most recently calling its mass deportation plan "a major crisis" in a February letter to U.S. Catholic bishops.
U.S. politics
Leo, who is from Chicago, voted in Republican primary elections in 2012, 2014 and 2016, and most recently in the 2024 general election, according to voting records obtained by Politico. Illinois voters don't register as members of a political party, so he is listed as "undeclared" and it is not clear for whom he voted.
Occasional tweets and retweets on Leo's X account may hold more clues to his political views.
His most recent retweet was critical of the Trump administration's partnership with El Salvador to deport immigrants without legal status, quoting a bishop who asked, "Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?"
In February, he posted links to two op-eds disagreeing with Vice President Vance's February comments on the Christian hierarchy of love, which were widely criticized, including by Pope Francis. One of Leo's tweets repeated the headline: "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others."
Leo has also shared messages opposing the death penalty, supporting vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic and retweeting prayers for George Floyd after his police killing in 2020.
"We need to hear more from leaders in the Church, to reject racism and seek justice," he tweeted at the time.
Online sleuths have dug up older tweets on his feed that criticize the first Trump administration, including its family separation policy, efforts to repeal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Trump's "bad hombres" rhetoric.
Some right-wing figures in U.S. media were quick to criticize the new pope as his social media posts emerged, with Trump ally Laura Loomer calling him "WOKE MARXIST POPE." Trump himself congratulated Leo on Thursday.
"It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope," the president wrote on Truth Social. "What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"
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