Pope Leo XIV: How Will His Leadership Impact Catholicism?
Photo Credit: Vatican Media
On May 8, Robert Prevost became the first American-born pope to lead the Catholic Church, which comprises over 1.4 billion people. Now known as Pope Leo XIV, he has the power to change church doctrine and law — his interpretations and opinions define the Church’s official position on many pressing issues.
Pope Leo was born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955 to parents of African, French, Italian, and Spanish descent. His mother came from a Creole family in Louisiana, and his father was a Navy Veteran of World War I from Hyde Park, Chicago. He attended Catholic schools throughout his youth and earned a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Villanova University in 1977. He then began work as a missionary in Peru, and spent years promoting and spreading the Catholic faith.
Afterwards, he was promoted to Prior Provincial of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, then later appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. He eventually became a prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis and was selected to attend the Papal Conclave, where he won a two-thirds majority to be elected as Pope.
As the new pope has both a different background and varying political views than Pope Francis, his leadership may affect the 1.4 billion Catholics who follow him. Pope Francis, his predecessor, was known for his progressive views on LGBTQ+ issues and his dedication to world peace and climate action. He brought global awareness to migrants and climate refugees, publishing pastoral documents to the entire Catholic congregation urging greater actions against consumerism, irresponsible development, and global warming. He steadily worked to open the church’s doors to everyone, regardless of background, famously saying, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge?” In December 2023, Francis passed a Vatican declaration called “Fiducia Supplicans,” which allows Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples in certain circumstances.
However, Leo may be more conservative than Pope Francis in his views on the LGBTQ+ community. In his opening speech, he called on governments to build peaceful societies “above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman.”
In 2012, Leo narrated a video where he expressed views against abortion, homosexuality, and euthanasia, which may have since changed. In the address, he stated that “Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel. For example, abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia […] Note, for example, how alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children are so benignly and sympathetically portrayed.”
Additionally, while working as a bishop in Peru, he opposed a government plan to add teachings on gender in schools. He told the Peruvian newspaper Diario Correo, “The idea of promoting gender ideology is confusing because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist. [...] God created man and woman.”
At the same time, Pope Leo has made efforts to increase women’s participation and visibility in the Vatican. In 2022, he oversaw the addition of three women to the office that vets bishop nominations, bringing reform in gender equality for the church.
“There will be a continuing recognition of the fact that women can add a great deal to the life of the church on many different levels,” he said in a 2023 press conference as per CityNews.
However, he is certain that women cannot be ordained as priests or deacons. “The apostolic tradition is something that has been spelled out very clearly, especially if you want to talk about the question of women’s ordination to the priesthood,” he said in a 2023 briefing.
Leo, like Francis, has been outspoken about addressing climate change and the need for the church to move “from words to action.” In a 2024 seminar hosted by the embassies of Bolivia, Cuba, and Venezuela, Leo said humanity’s “dominion over nature” should not be “tyrannical,” but instead a “relationship of reciprocity” with the environment.
At the same seminar, he cautioned against the harmful effects of technologies. He also reaffirmed the Vatican’s commitment to protecting the environment, using Pope Francis’ installation of solar panels and the Vatican’s shift to electric vehicles as examples.
In 2017, he retweeted a post urging Trump to act on climate change. The post urged him to read Laudato Si', a book by Pope Francis, and to act accordingly before it was too late.
Pope Leo is also a vocal advocate for the rights of immigrants and refugees. Jesus Leon Angeles, a coordinator of a Catholic group in Peru, has known Leo since 2018. Leon Angeles told Reuters in 2025 that Leo “is a person who likes to help,” and has shown special concern for Venezuelan migrants in Peru.
Leo has reposted content on X that criticizes the Trump administration’s deportation of illegal immigrants. In 2018, Leo retweeted, “There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all.”
In April 2025, he retweeted a post that quoted a bishop who asked if the Trump administration could "see the suffering" caused by deportations. "Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?"