Pope Leo XIV

New Pontificate

The 'mission' of Leo XIV: unity in the Church and against all religious propaganda

Prevost in the homily of the inauguration mass outlines the first lines of the pontificate: no lone leader

by Carlo Marroni

18 May 2025

Papa Leone XIV: "Scelto senza alcun merito, vengo a voi come fratello"

3' min read

Key points

Poverty and environmental issues are back in focus
The message of dialogue with other Christian churches
No to religious bullying and propaganda
"Never give in to the temptation to be a lone leader"

3' min read

He says this in a passage that is by no means taken for granted: 'I have been chosen without any merit and, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother who wants to make himself a servant of your faith'. In the homily of the inauguration Mass Leo XIV traces the first guidelines of his pontificate, which will first of all have as its "mission" the unity of the Church, which in recent years - and not only because of the lines dictated by Bergoglio, who is barely mentioned in the text and only evoked at the end of the celebration, "I have felt the strong spiritual presence of Pope Francis, who accompanies us from Heaven" - has suffered attacks and risks of division.

"This, brothers and sisters, I would like it to be our first great desire: a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes leaven for a reconciled world".

The issues of poverty and the environment are again central

Divisions that reconnect with the climate of the world: "In our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of the different, by an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth's resources and marginalises the poorest. And we want to be, within this dough, a small leaven of unity, of communion, of fraternity'.

In this passage, it is clear that Leo points to some of the cornerstones of pastoral care: peace, environment, poverty, economic inequality, themes that have been widely addressed in Francis' pontificate, and which have left their mark, not only in gestures. But Prevost does not extend the homily to the 'social', he reconnects to the guiding religious theme: 'We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: look to Christ! Come closer to Him! Receive His Word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his proposal of love to become his one family: in the one Christ we are one".

The message of dialogue with other Christian churches

Which Church does the Pope indicate? Some traces can be found: 'This is the road to take together, among ourselves but also with sister Christian Churches, with those who walk other religious paths, with those who cultivate the restlessness of the search for God, with all women and men of good will, to build a new world in which peace reigns'. Hence dialogue both within the Christian Church, in particular with the Orthodox (on Monday 19 he will see Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, and discuss the possible trip to Nicaea, Turkey, for the 1700th anniversary of the Council) and with other religions.

No to religious bullying and propaganda

But perhaps the strongest 'internal' message after unity is in another point: "This is the missionary spirit that must animate us, without closing ourselves up in our own small group or feeling superior to the world; we are called to offer the love of God to all, so that that unity may be realised, which does not annul differences, but enhances the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of each people". And again: 'It is never a matter of capturing others with oppression, with religious propaganda or with the means of power, but it is always and only a matter of loving as Jesus did'. What he sees is not a 'law and order' church as the American church largely is, let alone the model of evangelical preachers.

"Never give in to the temptation to be a lone leader"

Finally, a very internal element: 'If the stone is Christ, Peter must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation of being a lone leader or a leader placed above others, making himself master of the people entrusted to him. On the contrary, he is required to serve the faith of his brethren, walking with them'. The pope is the supreme head of the Church, but during the general congregations his 'role' was discussed - perhaps also in relation to the pope's centralising style and systematic bypassing of the chain of command by Bergoglio himself, which he often remarked on - and also the absence of plenary meetings between cardinals, who in fact did not know each other.