The city of ValenciaPope Leo XIV advised the cardinals who elected him in his first sermon as pope that everyone in the Catholic Church who holds power must humble themselves so that only Christ is left.
Since then, Leo has appeared determined to blend in as much as possible. The reticent 69-year-old Augustinian missionary has chosen a more subdued, modest, and quiet style of popeship over the controversial antagonism of previous popes.
When Leo embarks on a six-week vacation this weekend—his first since his historic election on May 8—he will further fade into the background. By choosing the comparatively cooler climate of Castello Gandolfo, the papal summer resort on Lake Alban, south of Rome, Leo is carrying on the papal custom of fleeing the Roman heat.
Leo’s acquaintances and colleagues anticipate that he will use these weeks away from the spotlight and the routine of Vatican audiences to better understand the church’s most urgent issues. They describe him as a meticulous, diligent, and well-prepared boss who prefers to study full reports rather than simply executive summaries before making choices.
Here is a glance at Leo’s summer homework, which includes the unfinished dossiers he might be working on between pool swims, garden walks, and sporadic Masses, prayers, and town visits till August 17.
Significant nominations
The Holy See apparatus is still operating with the old guard in situ because Leo reappointed all Vatican prefects until further notice after his election. However, a few significant appointments are still pending, chief among them the replacement of Leo’s previous position as prefect of the office that reviews candidates for bishops.
Additionally, Leo must choose his No. 2. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis’ choice and a failed candidate in the conclave that chose Leo as pope, continues to serve as Vatican secretary of state, the equivalent of a prime minister.
Leo must address one of the Holy See’s most urgent issues—its faltering finances—even before he can assemble his troops. The Vatican has a 1 billion euro ($1.18 billion) deficit in its pension fund and a structural deficit of between 50 to 60 million euros ($59 to 71 million).
The Rupnik issue
Numerous well-known clerical sex cases that arose under Francis’ pontificate are currently on Leo’s desk. Given the destruction the scandals have caused in the United States, the first American pope in history will be widely monitored to see how he responds to them. He cannot claim ignorance of abuse or its dynamics.
He made a significant appointment the night before his vacation: he replaced retiring American Cardinal Sean O’Malley on the Vatican’s child protection advisory group with French Bishop Thibault Vernyhead.
Leo has previously stated that it is critical to establish a preventative culture inside the church that does not tolerate abuse of any kind, including sexual, spiritual, or misuse of authority.
The example of the Rev. Marko Rupnik, a well-known mosaic artist who was eventually expelled from the Jesuit order when it was discovered that he had sexually, psychologically, and spiritually abused two dozen adult women and nuns, is the most urgent on that point. Despite the fact that there were no kids involved, the matter became into a poisonous issue for Francis due to rumors that Rupnik was given preferential treatment at the Vatican by the Jesuit pope.
Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, the head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, told reporters last week that the Vatican has finally found outside canon lawyers to hear the case, nearly two years after Francis gave in to pressure to revive the Rupnik dossier. Fernandez had stated as recently as March that he was struggling to locate any willing applicants. Despite the priest’s supporters maintaining his innocence, the case may be less politically sensitive now that Francis is deceased.
Vatican News has already sent a message by taking Rupnik’s artwork down from their website.
The case of Becciu
Leo also has to decide what to do regarding Cardinal Angelo Becciu and the Vatican’s century-long trial, which is scheduled to enter the appeals stage in September. In 2023, Becciu and eight other individuals were found guilty by the city-state’s criminal tribunal of a number of financial offenses related to the Holy See’s botched investment of 350 million euros ($412 million) in a London property.
However, the trial itself proved troublesome, with the defense arguing that fundamental rights were not upheld since Francis repeatedly stepped in to support the prosecution. Prosecutors and Vatican gendarmes reportedly were in constant contact with a lady who was advising the star witness to testify against Becciu, according to fresh discoveries in the months following the verdicts. The interactions, according to the once-powerful cardinal, are proof that his conviction was planned from the beginning.
To try to make the tribunal appear independent, Leo, a canon lawyer, might seek to avoid the entire situation. But in the end, Leo will have to make a decision on Becciu, who abstained from the conclave but is still a cardinal with a highly ambiguous status.
The problem of Latin Mass
Leo has stated that church unity and reconciliation are his top priorities as pope. Many traditionalists and conservatives believe that he will try to mend the liturgical tensions that grew over the ancient Latin Mass during Francis’ 12-year pontificate, particularly in the United States.
In 2021, Francis imposed restrictions on regular Catholics’ access to the traditional liturgy, claiming that its popularity was causing rifts within the church. Francis revoked the 2007 relaxation of prohibitions on its celebration by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
At a recent conference on Latin Mass, Cardinal Raymond Burke, a leading member of the conservative and traditionalist movement, stated that he had discussed with Leo the necessity of ending the current persecution of the faithful who wish to worship using the traditional liturgy.
Burke expressed his expectation that he would investigate this matter as soon as possible and attempt to return things to as they were before Benedict’s reform.
Priorities for AI and travel
According to Leo, artificial intelligence is one of humanity’s most important problems, and a paper of some kind may be in the works.
When and where he will begin traveling are also being investigated.
Leo has been invited to fulfill Francis’ final unfulfilled overseas pledge, which is to visit Turkey to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the assembly of Nicea, the first ecumenical assembly in Christian history. Leo has already stated that a visit is planned, with a potential date of late November.
In addition, Leo has been invited by many people. Vice President JD Vance invited Trump to come to the United States, but Leo declined and gave a noncommittal at some time.The Vatican under Francis had turned down a papal visit to Kyiv unless it could also be organized to Moscow, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s invitation.
Argentina has yet to have a papal visit from the first Argentine pope, while Leo’s former diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, is awaiting the return of their bishop.
A town is on the horizon.
Meanwhile, the people of Castel Gandolfo are desperate for a pope to come back. Francis chose to spend his twelve papal summers at home, at the Vatican, rather than using the retreat. Francis instead opened the papal palace and gardens to the public as a year-round museum, which helped the town recover from the economic impact of summers without the pope.
However, residents are eager for Leo to move in so they can take advantage of the town’s stunning lake views and peaceful starry nights. It is said to be the ideal location for a pope to relax, read, write, and reflect in solitude.
Recall that the town’s parish priest, Rev. Tadeusz Rozmus, wrote numerous encyclicals here.
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