Sir, – Today (April 9th) marks the first anniversary of Robert Prevost’s election as Pope Leo XIV. This was a truly remarkable event in the life of the Catholic Church.
Of the 267 popes to date, Leo is only the second native English speaker to occupy the chair of Peter. The only other was Adrian IV back in the 12th century. He reigned from 1154 to 1159 and is remembered in this country as the pope who granted Henry II of England the right to govern Ireland through the papal bull Laudabiliter.
The election of Leo as the first pope from the US is perhaps a reflection of the church’s uncanny ability to pick the right man for the right time. The elderly celibate men who for the most part comprise the papal conclave may be more attuned to the political and existential needs of the time than they’re often given credit for.
In retrospect, the election of the first Polish pope, John Paul II in 1978, can be seen as an inspired choice by the cardinals. There can be little doubt John Paul proved to be a significant factor in the undermining of the communist regime in Poland and, ultimately, in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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The election of Leo a year ago may prove to be of equal historic significance. In his calm pushback on US president Donald Trump’s might-is-right approach, and his calling-out of the abuse of Christian values to justify the war in the Middle East, Leo’s voice has had a powerful impact.
Trump may be inclined to dismiss Leo’s significance in the same way as Stalin in his time brushed off the influence of the papacy by asking how many divisions the Pope had, but it’s clear from his intemperate response that the US president has been rattled by his compatriot’s calm but insistent voice that peace and love, not power and money, are at the heart of the Christian message.
The victims of war are the poor, the dispossessed and the vulnerable. On the evidence of his first year in office, Pope Leo XIV could prove to be the voice the victims of war are crying out for. – Yours, etc,
John Glennon,
Hollywood,
Co Wicklow.
