Vol. 41, No. 12
06/23/2025
Which Way, Leo?
Since his election on May 8, Pope Leo XIV (Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost) has been the subject of endless and contentious speculation by Catholics, non-Catholics, and anti-Catholics alike. Is he progressive, liberal, moderate, conservative, or traditionalist? Where will he stand on moral issues (LGBTQ matters, divorce, marriage, abortion, euthanasia)? Where will he come down on political-social issues (immigration, borders, socialism, capitalism, liberation theology, communism, China)? What about ecclesiastical governance issues (“Bergoglian synodalism,” women deacons, “collegiality,” clerical sex scandals)? Environmental issues (climate change, Laudato Si’)? Doctrinal issues (salvation, ecumenism)? Liturgical issues (Traditional Latin Mass, liturgical craziness, pagan adaptations)? And much more.
Analysts on both the Right and the Left did quick dives into the background and social-media posts of the little-known Robert Prevost as priest-bishop-cardinal to divine where he might lead the Catholic Church. As it turns out, there is something for everyone, and the spin doctors of the Right, Left, and center have had a field day predicting that Pope Leo will go this way or that.
Cheers, Jeers, and Fears
The top contender among the papabile, according to the commonly quoted Vatican handicappers, was Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Francis’ secretary of state. Although typically described as a “moderate” by the media, Parolin was viewed by most knowledgeable observers as an uber-liberal in the mold of Francis. He is an enthusiastic advocate of Francis’ radical vision for a “synodal church” and was generally expected by all sides, if elected pope, to be “Francis 2.0.”
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