Pope Leo XIV is the first American-born leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. How is his background, combined with the current political climate in his home country, informing his papacy?
“There's no question that, by virtue of being an American, this pope understands his role as being a kind of counterweight to political forces in the world, especially given that his home country is the single most dominant political force in the world,” Joseph Capizzi, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, told host Nick Schifrin.
Stephen P. White, executive director of the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., argued that to conceive of Pope Leo and his role, “mostly in geopolitical terms” is to miss a “much broader picture” of the Catholic Church’s interaction with the world.
Meanwhile, Annie Selak, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University’s Center on Faith and Justice, discussed the pope’s use of his moral authority in a time of rising global unrest.
“I think what we're seeing in the past few weeks, as tensions are rising all around the world and we have this new war in Iran, I think we're seeing someone who really is putting himself out there and saying, I'm the pope, I am the leader of this Church, and I'm going to use that moral authority to speak to that,” Selak said.
Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and senior analyst at Religion News Service, noted the pope’s prior experience as a bishop in Peru and leader of the Augustianian order.
“He is an American who has international experience,” Reese said. “This is a man who knows what's going on in the world and pays attention to it and recognizes how what happens impacts human beings, people. So when he speaks out, he speaks as a pastor on political issues on issues on issues that have an impact on real people.”
Compass Points from PBS News analyzes prominent international affairs topics and America’s role in a shifting world, breaking down global conflicts, rising tensions, and their implications for U.S. interests. Visit the PBS News website to watch this week's episode.