The place does Pope Leo XIV stand on key points like sexual abuse, local weather and poverty? | Pope Leo XIV

What’s the place of Pope Leo XIV on the problems that face him and the Roman Catholic church?

Church unity

Inside hours of his election because the 267th pontiff, Leo was being talked about as a bridge builder, a pope that may proceed in Francis’s footsteps however with out alienating traditionalists in the way in which his predecessor generally did. He’s “identified for stable judgment and a eager capability to hear, and somebody who doesn’t have to pound his chest to be heard”, in response to a current profile on Crux, a Catholic information web site. He’s “extra pragmatic, cautious and discreet than the late pope”, it added.

In his first look on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, he wore conventional papal apparel, signalling that his model might be extra formal than Francis’s, who opted for a easy white cassock for his first balcony look.

Though he’s anticipated to observe Francis in lots of respects, he’s probably to take action in a extra emollient method than his predecessor. In his opening remarks as pontiff, Leo stated: “We’ve got to be a church that works collectively to construct bridges and to maintain our arms open.” He’ll attempt to be a logo of better unity within the church.

However some conservative cardinals and bishops within the US could bridle at his earlier criticisms of Donald Trump and his inclination in the direction of a progressive, inclusive place. Considered one of Trump’s most distinguished Catholic allies, Steve Bannon, known as Leo the “worst choose for Maga Catholics”, deeming him the “anti-Trump pope”.

In his years working in Peru, Leo – then Robert Prevost – acquired a repute as a moderating affect among the many nation’s ideologically disparate bishops. He might want to draw on that to carry collectively the completely different factions of the worldwide church.

Social justice, local weather and peace

Leo’s theology is targeted on the poor and marginalised, following his predecessor’s priorities. He has been essential on social media of harsh immigration insurance policies. As pontiff, his language is anticipated to be much less confrontational than Francis’s, however he’s prone to endorse the identical priorities relatively than search to roll again the late pope’s legacy.

One indication is his view on the position of bishops, expressed whereas serving as head of the Vatican’s ultra-powerful Dicastery for Bishops for the previous two years. A bishop is “not imagined to be somewhat prince sitting in his kingdom however relatively known as authentically to be humble, to be near the folks he serves, to stroll with them and endure with them”, he instructed Vatican Information final yr.

Leo has spoken out on the necessity for pressing motion on the local weather disaster, aligning with Francis’s environmental priorities. He has burdened the church should transfer “from phrases to motion” and warned towards the “dangerous” penalties of unchecked technological growth. “Dominion over nature” shouldn’t turn into “tyrannical”, he stated final yr. It should be a “relationship of reciprocity”.

Leo is anticipated to need the Vatican’s diplomats to be concerned in efforts to finish conflicts, principally in Ukraine, Gaza and South Sudan. His first phrases as pontiff to the world had been “peace be with you all” and he known as for “a disarmed peace and a disarming peace”.

Sexual abuse

Prevost was accused of “disregarding allegations” of abuse towards two clergymen in Peru, and has “a historical past of resisting disclosure of abuse data to the general public”, in response to the survivors’ organisation BishopAccountability.

Over the previous two years, when he headed the Dicastery for Bishops, he oversaw instances of bishops accused of abuse and its cover-up, stated Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of BishopAccountability. “He maintained the secrecy of that course of, releasing no names and no knowledge. Below his watch, no complicit bishop was stripped of his title.”

As Pope Leo, he should “win the belief of victims and their households”, she added.

In response to the Faculty of Cardinals report on him, Leo’s supporters “stress his innocence and say the instances have been inaccurately and unfairly reported within the media”. They insist he adopted correct procedures within the case of two Peruvian clergymen accused of molesting ladies.

The problem of sexual abuse and its cover-up is prone to canine Leo’s papacy because it did Francis’s. Though Francis got here to a greater understanding of the size of the disaster within the church, survivors say he didn’t take sufficient concrete motion and they are going to be watching Leo intently.

LGBTQ+ points

Lately, Prevost has largely stored a low profile on the problems of sexuality and id. In 2012, he expressed concern that western information media and fashionable tradition promoted “sympathy for beliefs and practices which are at odds with the gospel”, particularly referencing the “gay life-style” and “various households comprised of same-sex companions and their adopted kids”.

Final yr, he neither endorsed nor rejected blessings for same-sex {couples}, saying there have been cultural variations throughout the globe, with some international locations nonetheless criminalising same-sex relationships.

LGBT+ Catholics Westminster, a UK-based marketing campaign group, stated: “Opinions and concepts can change … He has expressed openness to marginalised teams, although his stance on particular points stays ambiguous, together with the considerations of LGBT+ Catholics.”

Girls

In October 2023, Prevost stated that “clericalising ladies” – ordaining them – wouldn’t clear up the church’s issues and would possibly even create new ones. “The apostolic custom is one thing that has been spelled out very clearly, particularly if you wish to discuss concerning the query of ladies’s ordination to the priesthood,” he stated.

However, he added: “I feel there might be a seamless recognition of the truth that ladies can add an incredible deal to the lifetime of the church on many various ranges.”

In 2022, he appointed three ladies to help him in his job advising on the collection of bishops.