Newly Elected Pope Leo XIV “a figure at the crossroads of continuities and ruptures”: African Theologian

“Faced with the upheavals of industrial capitalism and the suffering of the working class, Leo XIII affirmed the right to work, the dignity of the human person, and the role of the common good,” Sr. Faye said.

She said that Pope Leo XIII’s dynamic continued to grow with subsequent popes, each deepening an aspect such as human rights, integral development, human ecology, ethical globalization.

The Senegalese member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception of Castres (CIC), who serves in Burkina Faso said that the late Pope Francis continued the tradition in a pastoral, fraternal and Synodal orientation, calling on the Church to live out its mission as “God's people on the move”, not only with the poor but starting from them.

Sr. Faye described the newly elected Pontiff as “a figure at the crossroads of continuities and ruptures”, saying, “The election of Pope Leo XIV can be seen as a return to the fundamentals, as well as a continuation of the reform process.”

She said that the choice of the name “Leo” evokes not only Pope Leo XIII, but also Leo the Great who, in the 5th century, was a defender of the faith and unity of the Church. The choice of the name Leo, she said, “suggests a desire for doctrinal firmness combined with pastoral care.”

According to the Senegalese Nun, expectations are high, after the late Pope Francis, that the Synodal dynamic “can be preserved without being diluted, that crises such as governance, secularization, abuse, geopolitical conflicts can be confronted without retreating into a defensive posture, and that a spiritual breath and theological vision can be restored to the challenges of our time.”

She said that Pope Leo XIV inherits a Church “on the move”.

The Church that Pope Leo XIV inherits, Sr. Faye observed, is a “fragile but alive, called upon on all sides, by the world, by its own contradictions, and by the expectations of the peripheries, including those in Africa, Asia and Latin America.”

She further described the Church that Pope Leo XIV inherits as one that is faithful to the Gospel, free and rooted.

“From Leo XIII to Leo XIV, a Church in fertile tension took shape,” the Catholic Nun said, and described the Church that Pope Leo XIV inherits as a Church that is “constantly seeking ways to incarnate the Gospel in changing contexts.”

“Between Roman centrality and broader collegiality, this Church explores the path to more participative governance. Between solid doctrine and pastoral listening, she seeks to maintain the balance between a truth that saves and a mercy that uplifts,” she said, further describing the Church that Pope Leo XIV inherits.

Sr. Faye said that the challenge for Pope Leo XIV will be to keep alive the promise of the Second Vatican Council, which she said the late Pope Francis reread in the light of synodality, while at the same time making his own contribution.

In the theologian’s estimation, Pope Leo XIV’s contribution will be a new social or spiritual Encyclical, a curial reform, or even a stronger recognition of the role of the Churches of the South.

Sr. Faye expressed optimism that Pope Leo XVI would pay close attention to the Church, which she said is “revealed as a living body”, attentive to the world without conforming to it, and is also faithful to Christ without fear of change.

“In this movement, Africa is no longer on the sidelines,” she said, describing the Church that Pope Leo XIV inherits, and added, “It is a living force of discernment, witness and hope. Leo XIV will undoubtedly need to hear this voice and draw inspiration from it.”

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The newly elected Pontiff was born on 14 September 1955 in Chicago, USA to Louis Marius Prevost of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez of Spanish descent. 

He took his First Vows in the OSA in September 1978 and had his Perpetual Profession in August 1981. He was ordained a Priest in June 1982 in Rome.

He served as Prior General of the OSA for two six-year consecutive terms, which ended in 2013. In November 2014, the late Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator of Chiclayo Catholic Diocese in Peru, where he had been a missionary, elevating him to the Episcopal dignity and Titular Bishop of Sufar.

The late Pope Francis created him a Cardinal during the September 2023 Consistory. On February 6, the late Pope Francis promoted him to the Order of Bishops, granting him the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano.