Pope Leo XIV, the first ever American became the Leader of the Catholic Church. The first Pope ever to hold both American and Peruvian citizenship.
Is there significance in the name Leo?
The majority of Lay Catholics may not know much about this new Pope. We know, he has taken the name of Leo which has been the name of 13 Popes before him. Five Popes have canonised or declared Saints amongst these 13.
God truly works in mysterious ways
Pope Francis appointed His Holiness Pope Leo XIV as Cardinal in 2023. He belongs to the order of Augustinians and has spent a large portion of his time working in Peru, first as a parish priest and later as a Bishop.
I noticed that many of the speculative articles I read on the conclave rarely mentioned Robert Francis Prevost as a front runner.
I, with millions throughout the world tuned in to watch this monumental event. The media overlooked Robert Francis Prevost in their discussions about the Pope. Speculative articles failed to highlight him as a potential candidate. The event captivated viewers across the globe. Many people were surprised by the outcome of the conclave.
What this clearly shows me is ‘ our understanding is not God’s understanding’, what and who we in our human nature view as popular or alluring, or may choose as a frontrunner or ideal candidate is not what or whom God may choose.
1 Corinthians 1;26-29 states
‘For consider your call brethren, not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth, but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong’
Human understanding is limited and finite compared to the infinite and all-knowing nature of Our God. As such we should always be mindful of this and pray to Our Lord to bless us with his wisdom when making important decisions.
So, I sit and reflect on what has been a rather unpredictable few weeks. Though today closes one chapter, it also opens a new and wonderful chapter, one that is still yet to unfold- Robert Francis Prevost unbeknownst to many lay Catholics, rarely mentioned as a Papal front runner, now sits as the 267th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.