Exhale and Decenter in Hope

During his pontificate, Pope Francis named 163 cardinals from 76 countries to join the College of Cardinals. It was a first for 25 countries. On September 30, 2023, he elevated 21 clerics from 17 countries to Cardinals. Francis stated, “Where they come from expresses the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim the merciful love of God to all people of the earth.” Robert Prevost was the only one of the 21 to be a native-born citizen of the United States of America, and a naturalized citizen of the Republic of Peru. The other 20 were from 16 countries. Today, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected by Cardinals of voting age, under 80, to become the next successor to Saint Peter. In accepting the invitation, Prevost chose the name Leo XIV.

My Latin is extremely limited, but I am familiar enough to have recognized Leone and quartodecimus. As a student of Catholic social teaching, I was surprised as I had been when Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio chose the name Francis. As this news settled into my being, I began to shed tears of joy and gratitude. Pope Leo XIII authored “Rerum Novarum” in 1891 and is recognized as the father of Modern Catholic Social Teaching. In English the title translates to “Of New Things.” The document addresses the challenges evolving from the Industrial Revolution, and acknowledges the dignity of work, as well as the rights of workers.

As an African-American Catholic woman, it has been disturbing to witness the people of the United States denounce e pluribus unum and gleefully jump into the rabbit hole of Christian nationalism and, quite often, white Christian nationalism. It is even more disturbing to know that many who claim to share my Catholic faith embrace the dominant myopic narrative. The word Catholic means universal. Sadly, this is not the first time that so many Catholics have proven to be xenophobic.

Because the USA too often dominates the global stage, I see the election of Pope Leo XIV as an invitation for us to model humility and decenter ourselves. A simple way to begin the process is by acknowledging him as the second American pope as Francis was the first pope from the Americas. Leo XIV was born in the United States and his heart was molded by the people of Peru so as to become a citizen. This was underscored today when he spoke in Latin, Italian, and Spanish. He did not speak in English.