We will determine Pope Leo XIV's legacy
Responsibility, humility, and God's sovereignty
The evening of Pope Leo’s election, I created this reel with close-up shots by Vatican News of his first appearance on the loggia after the conclave, greeting our global church with arms wide in welcome.
I started crying when I noticed the tears brimming his eyes before and after he deliver his Urbi et Orbi. Eyes glued to the livestream, I grabbed Will’s hand and said, “he looks so scared.”
He has such an enormous job now, a priest from Southside Chicago who spent decades doing mission work in Peru, only two years a cardinal for Pope Francis. Not only is being the pope of the global Church more difficult, logistically challenging, and heart-wrenching than any of us can imagine, but Satan will be working double-time to make him crumble.
I think his presence on the loggia, both showing enormous smiles with waving hands and sober gazes with shaking hands, communicated a profound joy coupled with deep understanding.
He knows the task of shepherding the global Church is difficult. He knows the media will both make him their darling and rip him apart, often simultaneously. He knows there will be things said of him that leave much out of context. He knows the task before him is difficult.
I think the least we can do for Pope Leo XIV is be kind and err on the side of extending him grace.
Each pope determines his own words and actions, but we determine his legacy.
Will we be quick to scalp our father’s head for the slightest confusing remark, or will we remain stabilized in Christ’s peace? Will we celebrate his wonderful speeches, or write them off as “part of the job?” Will we call him a “bad pope” when we disagree with his politics, or will we trust that there’s more to the task of being a shepherd than what social media captures?
Will we pray for him—not that he does what we want, but that he does what God wants? Will we hope for him—not that he seamlessly praises our own political beliefs, but that he call all governments to honor the inherent, God-given dignity of each human person? Will we love him—not because he’s likable, but because he deserves our self-sacrifice as a fellow child of God?
This doesn’t mean that we ought to excuse his mistakes and pretend his sins aren’t truly sins, or even graciously question if his words and decisions for the church will be the most effective. But we need to err on the side of grace, friends.
Notice these words I wrote in last week’s Substack:
I made this reel a few weeks ago about an interesting conversation I’ve noticed among Americans regarding the legacy of Pope Francis—a disposition of being as, or even more, critical of the global leader of our church as we are of whoever the U.S. President is.
I think it’s fair for us to be healthily critical of our country’s presidents. We all either elect them ourselves and want to hold them up to their campaign promises, or we didn’t elect them and want to challenge them to find a position more like our own. It’s a natural reaction in a democratic culture and important for the heart of our nation’s governance.
But the Catholic Church doesn’t run the way the U.S. does. Erring on a greater side of charity than criticism for our pope doesn’t mean we make up excuses for his sins or act like doormats—it means we understand that 1) he was chosen by God the Holy Spirit, and 2) has much more problems across the world than the grumblings of American Catholics.
And then we got what no one saw coming: an American pope, who personally understands and has already spoken up about the things our government is doing that do not honor God’s children.
Maybe you agree with Pope Leo here, maybe you don’t. Maybe you were thrilled when you read his biography and twitter feed, maybe you cringed. As with every pope who came before him, he is a sinner in need of Jesus’ salvation who does not have the omniscience and omnipresence our Father does.
But our church, especially in the United States, desperately needs a pope we can rally behind in love right now. We all have the power to decide if that happens or not. Again, I ask you: will we treat him with harshness, or with grace and favor?
Let’s get rallying. Viva il papa!
-Eliza
ELIZA WEARS THINGS
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I committed to wearing only red during the conclave last week…and it was a good thing it ran on the short side, because I quickly realized I don’t own many red pieces! This dress from Omika’s new May collection is wonderfully light and airy, and the sleeves can be buttoned to a bubble short for hotter summer days. Use ELIZA20 for 20% off everything at Omika, linked here.
This 100% cotton red dress is making its way to me in the mail right now! I love the reverse-basque drop waist coupled with a slightly form-fitting natural waist accent (lots of fashion jargon for you there!), along with the subtle high-low hemline (remember the really intense ones from the early 2010s? Quite the moment!) Few Moda sells clothing by designer manufacturers without designer labels, so you’re purchasing quality without paying for brand-name clout. This is a project I can get behind! Shop it here.
I wore my favorite Hill House dress for Good Shepherd Sunday at the beginning of this week—the green floral and bird chinoiserie on a cloudy white background felt perfectly pastoral to me for this Easter feast. Hill House also just launched yesterday a new pink hydrangea on light blue pattern in this same dress silhouette, linked here. 100% cotton, perfectly feminine, and ultra-comfortable—as always! Shop Hill House here.
Y’ALL HAVE BEEN LOVING…
This set by Tuckernuck. 100% cotton, full coverage everywhere (no open back, cutouts, or crop top), and so beautifully feminine. I’d wear this for church and a brunch date with Will, a rehearsal dinner or wedding, or a bridal/baby shower! Top liked here, skirt linked here.
This floral pattern is so elegant. It’s a dress that really speaks for itself! This shade of cerulean blue is hard to find on the market right now, and definitely comes better in smaller doses, as in this floral, than as an allover solid. Shop this dress here.
I also really like this extra-light sage green—another color not easily found in the market lately. The precious ditsy floral nicely complements the comfortable, billowing silhouette on this Tuckernuck gem. Find this dress here.
I’D APPRECIATE YOUR PRAYERS FOR…
Our new pope, Leo XIV, that he may let our Good Shepherd guide him in humble leadership, love for our global church, and embodiment of our resurrected Christ.
For a really great analysis on who Pope Leo XIV is, read this article by the Pillar. Will and I are paid subscribers to this Catholic news site because we really believe in their work of bringing unbiased, authentically Catholic journalism and analysis to the people. They truly know, understand, and love our Church, and are diligent in fairly covering the ins and outs of our global Kingdom of God on earth. (Not sponsored here, I just really cannot recommend their work enough!)
