His emphasis on ‘building bridges’ through dialogue in his first words as pope gives a message of peace to our troubled world
By Benedict Rogers in UCA News
The election of Pope Leo XIV — the first North American and the first Augustinian pontiff — is an exciting moment for the Church worldwide.
Through his many years as a missionary in Peru, he has a deep understanding of the poor and marginalized. Through his time as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and as head of the Augustinian order, he has a profound understanding of the Church and its role in the world.
And through his choice of papal name, he shows a commitment to social justice, as his predecessor Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) is regarded as the father of the development of Catholic social teaching through his encyclical Rerum Novarum (“On the Condition of Labour”).
His episcopal motto — In Illo unounum (“although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one”) — comes from a sermon on Psalm 127 by Saint Augustine and shows a commitment to the unity of the Church. And his emphasis on “building bridges” through dialogue in his first words as pope on May 8 gives a message of peace to our troubled world.
All of this is inspiring and encouraging. Many had hoped that the conclave might elect an Asian or African pontiff, but the fact that it elected the first North American shows a willingness to build on the precedent of Pope Francis in reaching beyond the Church’s historic foundations in Europe.
Indeed, the fact that Leo XIV is the fourth non-Italian pope in a row symbolises the Church’s true universality.
I became a Catholic 12 years ago, just 11 days after the election of Pope Francis. I was inspired and received into the Church by Myanmar’s Cardinal Charles Bo in St Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon, on Palm Sunday 2013.
Throughout my journey of faith, my spirituality has been shaped by the diverse traditions of the Church. Two of the greatest influences in my life have been Salesian cardinals from Asia — Cardinal Bo and Hong Kong’s courageous Cardinal Joseph Zen. My spiritual director is a Jesuit, and I have drawn great strength from Ignatian spirituality, having made several retreats based on The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. I have also made retreats in Benedictine monasteries, enjoyed conversations with Dominican friends, and visited Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis. Now I must learn more about the Augustinians.
I have also been influenced by each of the last three popes. St John Paul II’s courageous stand for human rights, human dignity and freedom, particularly across the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, is a constant source of inspiration for me.
Benedict XVI’s intellectual rigor, especially expressed in his three encyclicals — Deus caritas est (“God is Love”), Spe salvi (“Saved in Hope”) and Caritas in veritate (“Charity in Truth”) — and his many books, particularly his trilogy on Jesus of Nazareth — helped strengthen the roots of my faith. And Francis’ emphasis on mercy and hope, the themes of the jubilees which bookended his pontificate, always encouraged me. I hope Leo XIV will draw on the legacy of all three.
In particular, I hope the new pope will continue the interest in Asia that Francis pursued. In his 12 years as pope, Francis traveled to the region often — to South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, Mongolia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore. He had a special heart for Myanmar, and regularly spoke out about the human rights and humanitarian crisis in the country.
He met Myanmar’s now-jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on several occasions, and last year he received her son Kim Aris. He also called for her release and even offered her sanctuary in the Vatican.
Myanmar needs continued attention and prayers from the papacy, and I hope Leo XIV will provide that. He should speak out against the genocide of the Rohingya, the crimes against humanity and war crimes endured nationwide, for refugees and internally displaced peoples across the country, and for the release of all of Myanmar’s 22,000 or more political prisoners.
South Asia — particularly India and Pakistan at the moment, but also Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Nepal, all of which have endured political turmoil in recent years — deserves the new pope’s prayerful attention.
But there are two countries in Asia that I hope Pope Leo XIV will focus on in a different way from Francis.
The first is North Korea.
When Francis visited South Korea, he met only briefly with North Korean refugees and appeared reluctant to use his visit to speak out for human rights in North Korea. He also appeared to give serious consideration to the possibility of a visit to Pyongyang. In the end, such a historic visit never happened, but I urged caution at the time. I was not completely opposed to the idea, but I was concerned that such a visit could be misused as a propaganda tool for one of the world’s most repressive regimes. I argued that if he did go, he must use the opportunity to speak truth to power and highlight North Korea’s human rights tragedy.
I would encourage Pope Leo XIV to give North Korea his attention, and to speak out against the crimes against humanity which a United Nations commission of inquiry documented more than a decade ago. I hope he will also pray for North Korean refugees in danger in China and throughout Southeast Asia.
The second, but even more important, issue is China, and specifically the Vatican’s agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops.
I have written many times about what I regard as Francis’ mistakes in this regard, and what the new pope should do differently. In summary, there are five steps I urge Leo XIV to take.
First, conduct a comprehensive review of the Sino-Vatican agreement and the situation of religious freedom in China, and make the details of the deal transparent.
Second, before the agreement is next up for renewal in 2028, the new pope should set out clear criteria for its continuation. These should include the release of all imprisoned or detained Catholic bishops and priests, tangible improvements in religious freedom — not only for Catholics but for all faiths — and an end to Xi Jinping’s campaign of ‘Sinicisation,’ which in effect means the control and co-option of religion by the Chinese Communist Party. If these criteria are not met, the deal should be suspended or repealed.
Third, Leo XIV should speak out publicly about human rights across China.
He should pray for the Uyghurs, facing what the United States government, several parliaments around the world, and an independent tribunal describe as a genocide.
He should speak out about Tibet, especially as the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of the Panchen Lama approaches later this week. In July, he should join others around the world in marking the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
In recent decades, all of Leo XIV’s predecessors except for Francis met the Dalai Lama on many occasions. While the Tibetan spiritual leader no longer travels abroad, the new pope should find ways to engage him — with a telephone or online call, for example — and restore contact between two of the world’s most important religious figures.
He should pray publicly for persecuted Christians and Falun Gong practitioners, speak out about forced organ harvesting, and call for the release of China’s political prisoners.
And he should speak out against the dismantling of Hong Kong’s freedoms and autonomy. He should pray for the release of Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s most high-profile Catholic political prisoner, who has been denied the right to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion in jail. At the earliest opportunity, Pope Leo XIV should meet Lai’s son Sebastien.
The new pope should also pray for Taiwan, for peace in the Taiwan Strait, and, as the leader of one of the world’s few states that retains official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, strengthen that relationship.
Finally, in the coming days — if he has not already done so — the new pope should meet with Hong Kong’s 93-year-old Cardinal Zen, to seek his advice on ways forward for the Vatican’s China policy.
When I was exploring Catholicism, I read several encyclicals, including Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum. I also read — cover-to-cover — the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, a copy of which Cardinal Bo gave to me.
These documents were instrumental in my decision to become a Catholic because I found within them a comprehensive body of teaching that emphasises justice, freedom, human dignity, and human rights.
I hope our new pope, Leo XIV, will live up to these teachings and champion them, around the world and particularly across Asia.
This article was originally published in UCA News.