On May 8, the world met its new pope. Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American missionary and Vatican official, took the name Leo XIV. In his first public address from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the new pope made clear his vision: a missionary church, a synodal church and a church committed to building peace.
"Peace be with you!" he began, repeating the Risen Christ's Easter greeting. "This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarmed peace and a disarming peace, humble and persevering."
Pope Leo XIV thanked his predecessor, Pope Francis, whose "weak but always courageous voice" continued to echo on Easter Sunday, his final public appearance, and made clear his intention to carry forward the vision of a church that walks together, builds bridges and remains close to the suffering.
"We want to be a synodal church," he said. "A church that walks, a church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer."
The former bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, Pope Leo XIV brings a blend of pastoral heart and Vatican leadership. Most recently, he served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, shaping the global episcopacy under Pope Francis.
Those who worked with him during the church's recent Synod of Bishops on synodality say the cardinals' choice of Pope Leo XIV signals continuity with Pope Francis' efforts to renew the church's structures and spirit.
"Last October we shared the same table at the synod for a couple of weeks," said José Manuel De Urquidi, founder of the Juan Diego Network and one of the few lay delegates with voting rights. "He is a reflective man, a deep thinker. He never wanted to be the center of attention. He cares deeply about people -- especially about the bishops from all over the world."
Urquidi said he believes Pope Leo XIV's missionary experience in Peru and his Vatican work with bishops helped form a conviction that "a church that is synodal and missionary is key in these times."
"He will for sure be looking to listen to everyone and engage with them, bringing people together in Christ," he said.
French Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops and the first woman with voting rights in a synod, also underscored the importance of Leo XIV's experience in both synodal assemblies.
"Just listening to his first speech, where he mentioned his desire to continue to work together in a synodal church, is a sign that he is taking up this call," she said. "I can see and feel that he is a very balanced, serious man, who will take his time to determine how to continue the work of the synod."
She also recalled how she and dozens of women religious were gathered at a Mass, taking part of an ongoing plenary assembly of the International Union of Female Superior Generals in Rome, when the white white smoke rose: "When the news came out, we all sang the Alleluia. It was incredible."
Sister Nathalie posted one of the first photos with Pope Leo XIV on her X account May 8 -- including a selfie, which has since gone viral.
The new pope's name also points to his priorities.
"Pope Leo XIII is the father of Catholic social teaching," said theologian Anna Rowlands, who served as an expert during the synodal process. "He made that the heart of his witness of the church to the world. It's really interesting that Pope Leo XIV is going to follow in that legacy now."
Rowlands noted that Leo XIII had been a disciple of St. Francis of Assisi -- suggesting continuity not only in name but in mission.
"Four times he talked about walking together, key synodal language, and at the end, he mentioned a synodal church," said the St. Hilda professor of Catholic Thought and Practice at Durham University, who participated in the synodal assemblies held in Rome in 2023 and 2024. "He is making the synod process his own. We don't know what that will mean, but so many of the important notes of what he said today are key to synodality as well: peacebuilding, dialogue, unity, walking together with other people, and mission."
"People forget that mission was at the heart of the synodal process: the renewal of the church on the inside to proclaim a credible witness to the world outside," Rowlands, who greeted the new pope personally just hours after his election, told OSV News.
Kim Daniels, who served as a communications consultant for the synod assemblies, described Leo XIV as "an American with a missionary heart and a global vision -- a son of Chicago who's spent his adult life in Peru and now Rome."
"His election affirms the cardinals' commitment to Pope Francis' vision of spiritual renewal and structural reform," said Daniels, the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University in Washington and a member of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communications.
Daniels told OSV News that in his first words as pope, Leo XIV echoed the voice of Francis and the Gospel itself: "God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail. We are all in God's hands. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and each other, let us go forward."
