Habemus Papam! - A Reflection from Trustee Anthony Hoffman

Many of us may only live to see a couple papal elections in our lives, and so it becomes, especially for Catholics, a ‘where were you’ moment. These moments that become cemented in our memories as to what we were doing when we learned of the election of a new leader of the Magisterium. 

I was painstakingly sanding off an old layer of stain on my back deck on May 8th, when I received a text that there was white smoke coming out of the chimney at the Sistine Chapel. I will probably always remember, dropping my sander, sitting cross legged on my back deck, caked in sawdust, blowing it off the screen of my cell phone to watch the live steam out of the Vatican, praying, waiting to see the emergence of our new Holy Father.

As Pope Leo XIV was announced and he came out to greet the record number of cheering faithful in St. Peters Square, one camera zoomed in almost uncomfortably close onto his face and you could unmistakably notice a lip quiver and slightly damp eyes as Cardinal Prevost gave his first address. 

There is, adjacent to the Sistine Chapel, a room that many don’t know about called the Stanza delle Lacrime or “Room of Tears” where, after accepting the election from his fellow cardinals, the candidate doffs his scarlet fascia (sash) and changes into his papal cassock for the first time. 

I think what we saw on the balcony was the epilogue of Prevosts time in that room, where the enormous weight of what has just transpired sinks in. As the outside world is about to start talking of ‘power, authority,’ perhaps doing a Google search of his name to see where he stands on certain issues, it’s important to remember that that man in the room of tears is picking up the tattered, worn out, yet consistently sturdy fishing nets of St. Peter the apostle. These nets, commissioned by Christ himself are less of a title, but weigh and resemble their own type of cross. He is not a “winner,” of this election, but the one asked to give absolutely everything.

In that room of tears, was most likely a prayer prayed by every Pope to come before him. “Why me Lord? Who am I to fill this role?” He will not have a retirement. It is most likely that he will pass away in this office. He will carry the full burden. He will work until he is too old and too frail. He will give everything, even to the end of his life for the faith, because that’s the role.

When elevated to the position of Cardinal, Prevost called it “a mission of love with Christ, our Savior,” emphasizing the responsibility to give his life, like Christ, in service to the Church. He also highlighted the significance of the red vestments of a cardinal, symbolizing the blood of martyrs, which is the attitude he wanted to bring to the position as many did before him. 

All in.

Everything. 

Not for praise, wealth or acclaim.  But for Christ, till death. When he emerged as Pope Leo XIV, he chose to make his first appearance in the “mozzetta”, an elbow-length red cape, over his white cassock, traditionally representing this ‘all-in.’

So as commentaries fly about who Cardinal Prevost has been, predictions as to what type of Pope he will be, the first thing the faithful must do is pray. Pray for this man to whom had been handed a cross and a task that is bigger than himself. Bigger than his human capacities. He is to be a peacemaker in a world constantly on the verge of violence. He is to point to God in a world that prefers pointing to itself. He is to be a just judge while also a picture of God’s mercy. 

In some of his first statements as Pope, he explained why he chose the name Leo XIV as a desire to continue in the footsteps of Pope Leo the thirteenth who was in the chair of Peter from 1878 to 1903. The new pope drew a parallel between the challenges faced during Leo XIII’s era and those confronting the Church today, particularly “another industrial revolution and … developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.”

In his first homily as Pope, Leo displayed his grasp on the magnitude of the issues plaguing the world and the Church. Beautifully though, just like Peter, his newest successor points clearly and emphatically to the answer the Church has provided for two thousand years. “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God: the one Saviour, who alone reveals the face of the Father….  [We must increase our faith in this truth] A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family, and so many other wounds that afflict our society. “

Pope Leo has come out strongly desiring the church to “be ever more fully a city set on a hill, an ark of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illuminates the dark nights of this world. And this, not so much through the magnificence of her structures or the grandeur of her buildings — like the monuments among which we find ourselves — but rather through the holiness of her members. For we are the people whom God has chosen as his own, so that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 

In a testament to the incredible gift of apostolic succession and continuity of teachings, Pope Leo’s first homily has given us purpose, direction, reminded us of the foundation of Catholic education and offered a hope to set our eyes upon. With perfect continuity, he echoes the exact same declaration as the fisherman who walked beside Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry, and whose very sandals Leo has slipped his feet into.

May the Lord through the intercession of the Blessed Mother keep our new Holy Father close to His Sacred Heart. Guide him in truth, strengthen him in grace and let his every step draw the church nearer to You.

Viva il Papa!