The rise of Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV has been interpreted by most Vatican experts as a"return" to the center after the divisions between progressives and conservatives exacerbated during Pope Francis' papacy. The recovery of traditional vestments and his call for "a Church that builds bridges" are seen as signals aimed at the sector that favored his election after apparently blocking the election of Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State who was perceived as a greater risk for social issues.
Leo XIV, who mentioned Pope Francis again on Friday in his first homily before the cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, is indeed aligned with his predecessor in defending immigrants and approaching the poor. But his stances are socially more conservative on issues such as homosexuality or the ordination of women as deacons, which may have secured him the support of some traditionalist cardinals in the fourth round of voting where he surpassed the two-thirds threshold of the conclave (89 votes).
According to Italian media reports, the favorite Pietro Parolin was the most voted candidate until the third scrutiny of the conclave, where he won by 49 to 38 against Prevost. The Italian candidate, who also served as the president of the conclave, apparently realized that he would not be able to surpass the 50-vote threshold and stepped back to allow the surpass of what is now the first North American pontiff (with Spanish, Italian, and French blood).
The outcome was similar to that of Pope Francis when he surpassed the then favorite, Archbishop of Milan Angelo Scola, in 2013 in the fifth round of voting. Leo XIV also prevailed in the same way, on the second day but in the fourth round of voting, with the support not only of the progressive wing of the conclave but also of the so-called moderate begoglianos, whose line is basically the one he represents.
According to other versions of what happened in the conclave, Prevost reportedly started with substantial support from the first vote, benefiting from the division among the four Italian candidates (Parolin, Pizzaballa, Zuppi, and Filoni) and the rivalry between the Filipinos (Tagle and David). Thanks to cross-party voting, with the support of cardinals from the Global South and the majority of Europeans, the American candidate quickly consolidated his advantage, hence the speed with which the process concluded.
The conservative wing was defeated in the conclave, but could breathe a sigh of relief believing that Prevost will take a different approach as Pope, "more discreet, measured, and minimalist, nothing like the more open, empathetic, and communicative style of Francis" (according to analyst Massimo Gaggi in Il Corriere della Sera).
"We will surely see Leon XIV blessing children in St. Peter's Square, but he will not pick them up," as highlighted by one of the prelates who know him. Others precisely define him as a "moderate continuist" of Francis' line, although ready to mark differences from his appearance on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica when he recovered the tradition of the mozzetta, the robe, and the golden papal cross in his first Urbi et Orbi blessing.
"There will be continuity, but at the same time he will have his own vision and personal imprint," warned the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Timothy Broglio. "I believe that the Holy Father will be able to speak about substantial matters and not accidental ones. That will be his great gift."
Broglio does not doubt, however, that there will be "divergences" with the Trump Administration, but assured that Leo XIV will express them "as a shepherd and with a global vision." Nevertheless, he acknowledged that Prevost likely had a very direct role in preparing the letter to the American curia criticizing Trump's immigration policy, due to his position at the head of the Congregation for Bishops and his closeness to Francis on this issue.
After his call for peace from the balcony of St. Peter's, Leo XIV officiated his first mass as Pope on Friday before the cardinals who elected him, and who bid him farewell with applause after his homily in the Sistine Chapel, where he once again wore the attire and the cross of Benedict XVI.
"Today there are many contexts in which the Christian faith is perceived as something absurd, characteristic of weak or unintelligent people, contexts where other securities are preferred to those it proposes, such as technology, money, success, power, or pleasure," warned the pontiff, who acknowledged the difficulty of "witnessing" the Gospel in today's world, marked by "practical atheism."
"This is the world that has been entrusted to us and in which, as Pope Francis often taught, we are called to bear witness to joyful faith in Jesus the Savior," added Leon XIV. "The lack of faith often leads to dramas such as the loss of the meaning of life, the forgetting of mercy, the violation of human dignity in its most dramatic forms, the crisis of the family, and many other wounds that bring much suffering in our society."
The next meeting with the faithful of Leo XIV is on Sunday, at the first Regina Coeli prayer on Sunday at noon, from the window of the Apostolic Palace. The inauguration mass of the Pontificate is scheduled for May 18 at 10:00 in St. Peter's Square, where dozens of world leaders are expected to attend.