As the calendar marked 100 days of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy 16 August, experts are scrutinising his words and actions in hopes of pinpointing his leadership style, priorities and vision for the church’s future.
But, unlike Pope Francis, whose novel decisions on domicile and dress—along with surprise phone calls, outings and remarks to journalists—flavored his first months in 2013, Pope Leo’s papacy has been more tranquil, marked by his reflective and observant posture, scholars told OSV News.
Historian Joëlle Rollo-Koster, an editor of “The Cambridge History of the Papacy,” remarked on Pope Leo’s style as “less Argentinian and very Peruvian … in his behavior: calm, reflected,” nodding to the decades the US-born Pope Leo spent in priestly and episcopal ministry in the coastal South American country.
She added, “He’s smart. He’s looking at everything. He is talking with everybody. And then we’re going to see him coming out with his real personality.”
John Cavadini, director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life and a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame, said Pope Leo has presented himself as a “leader in whom you can have confidence,” particularly in his use of traditional symbols of the papacy, to emphasize the office rather than his personal charism.
Augustinian Father Kevin DePrinzio, Villanova University’s vice president for mission and ministry, explained Pope Leo’s “leadership style is Augustinian.”
He said, “It’s ‘for’ and ‘with.’ It’s like, ‘I’m with you in this,’” adding, “I think he’s really what we need.”
Credit: Source link
