Why Black Catholics Have Hope for Pope Leo XIV

As a plume of white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rev. Stephen Thorne, priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was in the middle of a board meeting with the Catholic Mobilizing Network in Washington, D.C. The meeting quickly came to a standstill, though, as people soaked in the news: the College of Cardinals had chosen a successor to the late Pope Francis. 

And in a historic first, the new Bishop of Rome, Robert Prevost, is an American. 

Thorne was elated, and not just because Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, is the first U.S.-born pope in the Catholic church’s 2,000-year history, and had attended college in Philadelphia — Thorne’s hometown. Leo’s election is exciting, Thorne says, because he believes the new pope “understands the needs of people like myself — African American, Catholic.”

Leo’s résumé reads like a moderate Catholic’s wishlist: “He has been a pastor, he’s worked with the poor,” Thorne, a Black Catholic activist, educator and special consultant to the National Black Catholic Congress, tells Word In Black. “I think he’s going to be somewhat sensitive to those in the church who’ve been forgotten. I’m very excited, very hopeful about his pontificate.” 

Chicago Celebrates

As the world begins to learn about Pope Leo XIV, facts about his background are emerging that seem to support Thorne’s optimism. Experts say the new pontiff’s views are closely aligned with those of his predecessor, Pope Francis — a leader who spoke out forcefully against racism, pushed back against President Donald Trump’s harsh immigration policies, and always kept the poor and downtrodden in mind. 

“Peace be with you all!” Leo told a large, joyous crowd in St. Peter’s Square, just outside the Vatican, about an hour after the announcement of the results of the papal election. In his first appearance from the balcony overlooking the square, Leo said he “would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are; and all the peoples, and all the earth.”

The congratulations to Leo from world leaders included a social media post from former President Barack Obama, who congratulated Leo as “a fellow Chicagoan.”

Obama called Leo’s election “a historic day for the United States,” adding that he and former First Lady Michelle Obama “will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith.”

Defender of Labor, Immigrants

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also celebrated Leo’s election.

“This is truly the greatest moment in the history of the greatest city in the world: the city of Chicago,” Johnson said in an interview with ABC7 Chicago. The mayor said it was no coincidence that the new pontiff’s name references Pope Leo XIII, “who worked on workers rights.” 

“Chicago has been at the center of the labor rights movement;” Johnson said, “making this a “true sign that the rights of workers will be prioritized” by the Catholic church. 

Brandon also noted that the new pope speaks Spanish and is a defender of immigrant communities and rights. “This is a true testament that our commitment to immigration is being fortified with this incredible elevation” of a pope from Chicago, he said.

Of course, in true Chicago fashion, Johnson also wanted to know if Leo roots for the North Side baseball team, the Chicago Cubs or the South Side favorites, the Chicago White Sox.

Decades Serving in Peru

A 69-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Peru, Leo, 69, grew up on the far South Side of Chicago and was an altar boy in grade school. He graduated from Villanova University, a Catholic school in Philadelphia, with a math degree in 1977 and was ordained five years later at age 27. Though he began his career in this country, Leo spent the bulk of his career in Peru as a missionary, parish priest, teacher, and bishop.

The pope is an Augustinian — a Catholic order scholars say values humility, scholarship, unity, truth, love, and public service. 

In the analysis of his election, some experts considered Leo to be a compromise pontiff, bridging the gap between more conservative and progressive wings of the church. Some Black Catholics on social media, however, lamented the church passed on a more radical choice: electing one of two Black African cardinals who were considered serious contenders for the papacy. 

While the symbolism would have been astonishing, Thorne says that may not have worked out so well for Black Catholics in the U.S. 

Continuing Francis’s Legacy

“The word ‘Catholic’ means universal. The church is growing at its quickest and fastest among Black and Brown people,” Thorne says, adding that Francis also had that realization and picked a number of cardinals of color. “I do think we will continue seeing a browning of the church, because that’s where the growth is.”

But for right now, “this is a good thing for America,” Thorne says. “I believe that Pope Leo XIV may be more aligned with [African American] concerns than perhaps a pope who was from Africa.” 

Ultimately, “I think Pope Leo is going to be a continuation of a lot of the initiatives that Pope Francis did” in helping the church reconcile its past and grapple with racism, Thorne says. “I think they realized wisely that that’s where the church needs to go. I think Pope Francis was having [those] conversations” when discussing his possible successors.

During his tenure, Francis issued several papal encyclicals decrying racism as a “sin” and called for its eradication from humanity. Whether Pope Leo will be as vocal remains to be seen, but his social media activity shows he supported the Black Lives Matter movement after George Floyd’s murder, and he reposted messages against racism and condemnations of President Donald Trump’s draconian immigration policies. 

The late pope “was being bold and courageous and addressing issues in the church that have not been addressed,” Thorne says. “And I think they were wise to realize that if they had stopped that and gone a different direction, it would not have gone well.”

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