(LifeSiteNews) — Before
The pontificate of the Argentine Jesuit Jorge Bergoglio was coming to an end. He had chosen the unusual name of Francis, animated by a reform of the Church that the Saint of Assisi had not aspired to – his work was spiritual, inciting a reform of life. Pope Francis turned his back on Tradition, which always proceeds by preserving and updating its identity. St. Vincent of Lerins had already enunciated it in the 5th century: “in eodem scilicet dogmate, eodem sensu, eademque sententia.”
The Roman Tradition was built on Peter, the fisherman of Galilee, who arrived in the capital of the Empire to found a Christian community and offer his martyrial witness. Throughout history the succession of Peter constituted the papacy, whose election knew different systems, lights, and shadows. With time the conviction that Peter’s Rome never failed in the essentials of the Christian faith became established. Heresies and schisms arose, but they never affected the katholiké, the universal Church, although its size fluctuated in history until it became what it is today: always missionary, with the capacity to extend itself in the world until the Lord returns.
In the centuries of the Fathers of the Church, the value of Rome was always respected because of the succession of Peter. This was above all the see par excellence, and as it was later called, the Holy See. The pope is above all the bishop of Rome; his cathedral is St. John Lateran. A kind of competition with the Empire later arose, though during the middle centuries the pope and the emperor were the head of Christendom. From these elements arose the problem of the relations between Church and state, which through the centuries is still a debatable question that influences Christians and non-Christians alike. An alternative emerged through the work of Muhammad and his claim to have founded a new empire which then asserted itself in Turkey. This is not just a political question but also a cultural one.
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The election of the successor of Peter knew diverse and vacillating systems. In the eleventh century a boy of 18, Benedict IX, son of a prominent Roman family, was elected to the see and imposed his armies. Expelled, he returned twice more by force of arms. After other attempts, Pope Gregory X succeeded in imposing the conclave of cardinals in the 13th century – they were the most important parish priests of Rome. This system ensured the purpose of the election and extends to the present day. Great pontiffs arose from it, such as those known between the First and Second Vatican Councils. Some of them have not yet been properly appreciated. St. Pius X was the great exception. We still await a similar evaluation of Pius XII.
After
In a rather brief conclave, the American Robert Francis Prevost was elected after the fourth vote, and he took the name Leo XIV. Some initial details revealed a change in the situation: the new Pope appeared wearing full pontifical vestments and imparted in Latin the Urbi et Orbi blessing (to the city of Rome and to the world) which comes with a plenary indulgence.
The name chosen refers to the long pontificate of Leo XIII, Gioachino Pecci (1878-1903), the author of the famous encyclical Rerum Novarum, the beginning of the modern exposition of the social doctrine of the Church. That pontiff condemned both socialism and the capitalist imperialism of money. His encyclical Libertas also condemned 19th-century liberalism.
The new Pope will live in the Papal Palace. As an Augustinian priest he was a missionary in Peru for many years, even becoming bishop of Chiclayo. This missionary character brings to mind the essential mission of the Church, which follows Jesus’ command to the apostles to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Journalistic commentaries have ignored this essential question, focusing instead on secular issues of the day.
Without a doubt the Pontiff will have to address political and social issues, but he has been elected above all to continue the Tradition that comes from the apostles. The difficult task of healing the rift opened by progressivism also awaits him. The course of Leo XIV’s pontificate will become clearer with time.
+ Héctor Aguer
Archbishop Emeritus of La Plata
Buenos Aires, Monday, May 12, 2025
