In choosing Pope Leo XIV, Roman Catholic cardinals showed they want to follow path set by Pope Francis--just slower

 

The goal of a Vatican conclave is to choose a new pope. That’s what happened in May when Robert Prevost was chosen to become Pope Leo XIV. 

But a conclave is also a referendum on the previous pope and his legacy — whether to follow in the same direction or change course. 

When the 133 cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on May 7, the question they were answering when selecting a new pope was whether to follow the vision of Pope Francis for a more open, inclusive and welcoming church or to repudiate it in favour of an emphasis on tradition and doctrine. 

They chose the way of Pope Francis, but just slower.

That’s the view of Christopher White, a former Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and author of the new book Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy (Loyola Press). 

Read more about that process and the new book in my Free Press column.