Comparing Pope Leo XIV to his predecessors: Assessing the new pontiff's impact and style
The latest pope in town is none other than Cardinal Robert Prevost, who's now known as Pope Leo XIV, the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church.
Many faithful are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping he'll serve as a unifying force, mending the rifts within the church. With a somewhat progressive stance and a moderate image, Pope Leo XIV isn't expected to make drastic deviations from Pope Francis' playbook.
Let's take a look at how Pope Leo XIV measures up against his predecessors.
A swift conclave
On May 7, the universe's 133 cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel for voting. By the late afternoon on May 8, the sky filled with white smoke from the chapel's chimney, signaling the arrival of a new pope following the fourth round of voting.
With voting concluding over just two days, this conclave is comparable in length to those in recent history. Conclaves used to drag on for weeks or even months prior to the mid-19th century. For instance, the 1740 conclave that brought Pope Benedict XIV to power lasted an astronomical 181 days. The earliest conclaves, from 1268 and 1292, even prolonged for more than two years.
These days, however, the conclaves have become much shorter. The conclaves that selected Popes Francis in 2013, Benedict XVI in 2005, and John Paul II in 1978, all ended within three days.
A curious case
Pope Leo XIV starts his papacy slightly older than the average pope since the 18th century. Traditionally, popes have kicked off their tenure between their early 50s and late 70s, with an average age of 65.
The youngest pope since the 16th century shares a moniker with the newly-elected pontiff. Leo X, who became pope at 37, was even younger than the fictional Pope Pius XIII, portrayed by Jude Law in the TV series “The Young Pope.” Despite his youthful age, Pope Leo X's papacy was cut short after his unexpected demise at 45, resulting in a reign that lasted less than nine years.
Another unusually young pope was Clement VII, who started his papacy at 44 back in 1523. He served for over a decade, during which time King Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church to establish the Church of England after the pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
A new landmark
Hailing from Chicago, Robert Prevost made history as the first US-born pope, the first to hail from North America, and the second pope from the Americas. Until Pope Francis was elected in 2013, all popes since Pope Zachary in 741 had been European. While Prevost was born in the United States, he spent many years in Peru and became a Peruvian citizen alongside his American passport in 2015.
With the growing number of Catholics from regions like South America and Africa, speculation simmered that the cardinals would elect a pope from outside Europe as a recognition of the church's expanding diversity. Those guesses have proved accurate with the selection of Pope Leo XIV.
The selection of a pope from outside Europe is likely thanks to the efforts of the previous pontiff, Pope Francis, who worked hard to diversify the College of Cardinals. Before Francis' appointments, most cardinals were European. The majority of those eligible to vote in this year's conclave were Francis appointees.
Pope Leo XIV chose the ancestral name of Leo XIV, a name with a rich legacy among his predecessors. The last pope to bear the same title was Pope Leo XIII, a progressive leader who ruled from 1878 to 1903.
Compared to the staggering popularity of the name John, which is linked to several key Christian figures, Leo is less common. John is followed closely by Gregory and Benedict as the most chosen names among past popes. However, Pope Leo XIV would surely not have opted for the name Peter, as the first pope and apostle of Jesus holds a special significance in Christian tradition, imposing a high standard that few could live up to.
The fast nature of Pope Leo XIV's election, occurring over just two days, is reminiscent of the efficient business practices desired in the general-news realm. This swift conclave can be compared to a streamlined decision-making process in a profitable business enterprise.
As the first pope from North America, Pope Leo XIV's election in the political sphere of the Catholic Church demonstrates the impact of leadership with a progressive stance, mirroring similar shifts observed in the broader transformative landscape of global business and politics.
