The leading topic for the Italian and French media today is the election of the American Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope, who chose the name Leo XIV. The media from both European countries note that the American was mentioned among the papabilis - cardinals who could be elected pope, but was placed on the long list of semi-finalists, while the short list of finalists until the last moment included several Europeans, including three Italians, one Asian and one African. In recent days, bookmakers have predicted a victory for the Italian Pietro Parolin. Artificial intelligence, asked by the “Daily Mail“, also predicted a victory for Parolin, writes BTA.
The new Pope Leo XIII presented a surprise, note the French and Italian media. The only thing that was not a surprise from this conclave was that the predictions that the pope would be elected on the second day of the election process came true. Leo XIII was elected on the fourth ballot, unlike his predecessor Pope Francis, who was elected on the fifth ballot.
The French and Italian media and specialized websites also publish biographical information about the new pope. A detailed information about Pope Leo XIII is also published on the “Vatican News“ website in Bulgarian.
The American Prevost became the first pope from the United States in the history of the Church, notes Agence France-Presse. He is a man who listens and synthesizes things, who falls into the category of moderates in the Church, familiar with both the mechanisms of the Vatican's work and the work of the Church on the ground, notes Agence France-Presse. The conclave elected a moderate pope who will follow in the footsteps of Francis, the agency adds.
She also dwells on the first address of Leo XIV, in which he says that evil will not prevail, that God loves everyone and in which he calls for building bridges through dialogue, through encounter, through the unification of all in one people who will always be at peace. Agence France-Presse commented that the new pope has shown that he wants to be a unifier and reassure the laity at a time when the world is changing and torn by wars.
Pope Leo XIV was a cardinal whose voice Francis listened to a lot, especially on the issue of nominating prelates, adds Agence France-Presse. The previous pope particularly valued this discreet and reserved cleric, who for years chose to work in one of the peripheries of the Church, namely Peru. Prevost also has Peruvian citizenship among the 20 years he spent working there and is today the emeritus bishop of Chiclayo in northern Peru. He has also held other posts there, and has also directed an Augustinian seminary. However, Prevost also has a good reputation not only among those in the Church who care for the peripheries - territories and communities forgotten by it. Prevost is also respected within the Roman Curia itself as a moderate cleric who manages to build bridges between differing points of view. This can be defined as a change from the rule of his predecessor Francis, who imposed his own personal style in this direction, which some defined as harsh, commented Agence France-Presse. Prevost has experience in the field, has a global vision of the Church and is able to navigate the Vatican bureaucracy. He knows canon law, and his bachelor's degree in mathematics makes him a man of logical thinking. Prevost himself believes that there is still much to be done in the Church. His motto is that the Church cannot go back, that it cannot stop moving forward, that the Church today and tomorrow is different from that of the past, because the world is not the same as it was 10 or 20 years ago, adds Agence France-Presse. Prevost's message is the same as that of Francis – The Church must reach out to the young, to the poor, to politicians, to all modern people. That is, in essence, Leo XIV will follow the mission of his predecessor, but the difference will be in the way he chooses to do it, notes Agence France-Presse.
As the reactions to the election of Robert Francis Prevost as pope continue to pour in, analysts are turning their attention to the choice of his papal name, notes “Figaro“. New popes have the right to choose between the name of a saint whom they venerate for one reason or another, or the name of a predecessor whose course they respect. Until recently, it was mentioned that the new pope could choose the name Francis II in honor of Pope Francis. The names Paul and John were also often mentioned. But Cardinal Prevost chose to bear the name that 13 popes before him had borne. The last pope named Leo - Leo XIII was an Italian with the secular name Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci and was at the head of the Church from 1878 to 1903, which was one of the longest pontificates in its history. This means that the new pope would like his pontificate to be long and to follow the course of Leo XIII.
Leo XIII is known for his social Catholicism. However, this is not a left-wing Catholicism, because he condemns both socialism and liberalism, recalls “Figaro“. Leo XIII was concerned about social justice in the face of the miserable working conditions of workers in the 19th century. In 1891, he published the encyclical “Rerum Novarum“ (“New Things“), dedicated to the novelties of the then modern society, entering the modern era, with factories, technology and the consequences of all this. This encyclical criticizes the concentration of industry and commerce in the hands of a small number of people, defined as "the rich and plutocrats, who thus impose an almost slavish yoke on the infinite multitude of proletarians". Leo XIII also held clear doctrinal positions, but he was also a great diplomat and author of dozens of encyclicals. He condemned divorce and enslavement, clarified the nature of the relationship between the power of the Church and civil and political power, while supporting human freedom. Leo XIV will not be a copy of Leo XIII, of course, but the choice of a name with which Prevost decided to pay tribute to him is an interesting decision at a time of the advent of new technologies and profound changes in society, commented "Figaro".
Robert Francis Prevost is from the Augustinian order, known for his attachment to the traditions of the Church, but also for his charity. Prevost is also a solid expert on canon law and the Roman Curia. All this gives him a reassuring appearance. He is also concerned about those who are considered excluded from society and is firmly rooted in the spirit of modernity. All this portends a pontificate of unity and collegiality, notes “Monde“.
The publication writes, however, that until recently there was talk that the current Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin would become pope. The speed with which the new pope was elected fueled this hypothesis until the end. When it was announced that Prevost was the new pope and it was reported that he would choose the name Leo XIV, it caused surprise, the newspaper commented. After the Polish, German and Argentine popes, the Church elected an American pope, adds “Monde“. His program, announced last night in his first address to the laity, shows that Prevost wants to be a pope for all and to lead a missionary Church, a Church that is always ready to welcome everyone with open arms, to accept all who need mercy, dialogue, and love. Prevost also called for peace, pronouncing this word nine times.
An American Pope at the Head of the Church - this choice has enormous significance in a world dominated by Trumpist sentiments, points out “Monde“. Robert Prevost has criticized Donald Trump's administration several times, in particular for the mass expulsion of migrants. Yesterday, however, Trump described Prevost's election as pope as a great honor for the United States. But the coexistence between the American president and the American pope is delicately emerging. However, this choice will strengthen the positions of the American bishops, who have come into conflict with Trump on the issue of migrants. It should not be forgotten that American bishops also expressed outrage when Trump joked recently that he would like to become pope and even posted a photo of himself wearing papal vestments.
Pope Leo XIV has refuted the predictions of bookmakers who expected either an Italian - Pietro Parolin or Pierbattista Pizzaballa - or the Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle to be elected pope. The election of the American Prevost shook the United States and caused great excitement among Americans, summarizes “France 24“. Now Americans will be watching with interest what the new pope's relationship with the US president will be like, whether he will be able to fill the US churches with worshippers again and whether he will push for a more favorable attitude towards migrants. The choice of the name Leo shows that the new pope will adopt the social commitment of Leo XIII at a time when society is facing major challenges such as artificial intelligence, but also the deviations of globalization, the French media notes. This social dimension of the name Leo can also be interpreted as a tribute to Pope Francis, for whom the bookmakers were sure that he would choose the name Leo XIV, but he caused a surprise 12 years ago by choosing the name Francis, adds “France 24“.
ANSA defines the new pope as “a Latino who unites the two Americas“ given that Prevost has both American and Peruvian citizenship, that he is a representative of the Church of the United States, in particular the Augustinian Order, but that for 20 years he has been an integral part of the Church in Peru. This shows that the new pope is highly profiled in his knowledge of one specific country - Peru, shaken by political crises. But this also makes him a good expert on countries in crisis in Latin America, as well as countries in crisis around the world. Prevost's biography is a crossroads of cultures - mother with Spanish roots, father with Italian and French roots. Prevost is a representative of North America, who lived for many years in South America, speaking five languages - English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. During his years of work in the Church, Prevost has focused his attention on the poor and migrants and has not been afraid to criticize people in power. Three months ago, for example, he criticized US Vice President J.D. Vance for his positions on migration issues, ANSA recalls. On the other hand, Prevost was in the Vatican at the head of the Dicastery for Bishops and participated in the process of nominating senior prelates, that is, a whole generation of followers of Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio, known as “Bergolians“.
150,000 people gathered in “St. Peter“s Square in the Vatican followed the announcement of the new pope and his first speech, “RAI News“ commented. The media, which initially confused Leo XIV with Leo XVI when announcing the papal name chosen by Prevost, notes that the new pope is set to be a pope who follows in the footsteps of Francis, who is a shepherd who masters humanity and embodies the face of the Church, capable of building bridges and approaching the needs of people, healing the wounds of humanity. The new pope is expected to transform the Church into a bridge of unity in times marked by wars, violence and strong polarization and at a time when the need for a spiritual leader offering mercy, synodality and hope is strongly felt, the media commented.
The election of Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV shows that the continuation of Pope Francis' course is not in question. Leo XIV himself has already said that there can be no turning back. But Pope Francis left many files open that now need to be worked on - relations between religions, the ordination of women as deacons, a number of social issues, such as the Church's attitude towards the divorced and remarried or towards representatives of the LGBT community, notes “Sky TG 24“.
During the period after the death of Pope Francis until the election of Leo XIV, everyone was talking about a continent that had never had a pope before, namely Asia, completely omitting the detail that the time had come for another continent to also have its own pope for the first time, points out “TG Com 24“. Prevost is the first pope from the United States and now his relationship with Donald Trump will be followed with interest. So far, there is no evidence of a personal relationship between the two Americans. And Trump's enthusiastic reaction to the election of Leo XIV as pope is more of an expression of national pride. “TG Com 24“ recalls, however, that according to various media outlets, Trump donated $14 million to the Vatican on the occasion of Pope Francis' funeral. The amount was positively received by the Holy See, which is facing a budget deficit of 70 million euros. This was perceived as a gesture of generosity on Trump's part, but others saw it as an attempt to influence the decision of the conclave. However, there is no concrete evidence that directly links Trump's donation to the election of Prevost, the Italian media outlet points out, recalling that the conclave is a process protected by strict norms guaranteeing the independence of the cardinal electors. In addition, the outlet recalls the criticism that Prevost recently made of the Trump administration's migration policy, which is perceived as distancing the new pope from this administration.
The new pope sent a strong message to the world, and in the race to lead the Church, the Italians marked their defeat for the fourth consecutive time, summarizes “Repubblica“. The new pope is a pope of two worlds – Augustinian, active in the suburbs of the United States and a missionary in Peru, and the name he chose is a strong message against the powerful of the day and a tribute to social doctrine, notes “Stampa“, defining Pope Leo XIV as both a pope of migrants and the forgotten.
“Corriere della Sera“ notes that until recently, Pietro Parolin was leading in the vote for pope, but in the end things turned around, Prevost received the support of the electors from North and South America and of the traditionalists among the electors. All of them bet on a pope who is capable of building bridges between peoples and hierarchies and erasing divisions in the Church and in society, the publication comments.