Habemus Papam: Pope Leo XIV!

Habemus papam! Pope Leo XIV, previously Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, has became the 267th head of the Roman Catholic Church and 9th head of the Vatican City State on 8 May, 2025. He is the first pope from North American continent (United States). He is the first pope from Order of Saint Augustine (OSA). He is also the first pope from an English-speaking country since Pope Adrian IV from England began his papacy in 1154, so it's over 850 years later.

Of course this is a great joy for all adherents of Roman Catholic Church and for entire Christianity as well. After two days of the 2025 Papal Conclave on 7 May and 8 May, 2025, our current pope was elected on the second day on the fourth ballot. Since the white smoke appeared from the Sistine Chapel, about 40,000 or more people entered St. Peter's Square in less than an hour, according to local news.

I, you, we all hope that Pope Leo XIV can continue the work of Pope Francis. Also considering that he took the name "Leo" as his papal name, I have a good feeling that he could be progressive. It has been chosen 13 times before. The first one, Leo I, and the last one before him, Leo XIII, were great reformers. Leo I was mostly famous for his meeting with Attila the Hun and his "Leo's Tome" while Leo XIII was mostly famous for his encyclical "Rerum Novarum".

Pope Leo I, or also known as Leo the Great, the pope from 450 to 461, was very influential in early church history. His Leo's Tome, a document sent to Flavian of Constantinople, explains the position of the papacy in matters of Christology. It was a topic of debate at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and later accepted as the doctrinal explanation of the nature of Jesus Christ until now.

Pope Leo XIII, the pope from 1878 to 1903, was also a great reformer. His Rerum Novarum (literally means "of revolutionary change") supports workers' rights and considered a foundational text of modern Catholic social teaching. From that Pope Leo XIII was known as the "pope of the workers". Beside of that, he firmly reasserted the scholastic doctrine that science and religion coexist. He was also a great diplomat, improving the church's relationship with modern nations at that time.