Pope Leo XIV
ISBN 9781639662296
eISBN 9781639662302
ASIN B0F9YVXFV3
This was the first full length biography of Pope Leo XIV to hit the market, that I have picked up. It is one of a few I have on a ‘to be read’ list. Though none of the others have been released yet. This was the first by a larger publishing house to be available. And thankfully OSV made the eBook available at the same time as the print edition, and that both were available in Canada.
The description of this book states:
“"Peace be with all of you!" -- Pope Leo XIV, May 8, 2025
Pope Leo XIV is the first and most comprehensive introduction to the 267th occupant of the Chair of Saint Peter and the global challenges he faces as he succeeds Pope Francis as Bishop of Rome.
This book is the culmination of years of research and planning from sources in multiple languages and countries, and it includes:
• A complete biography of the first pope from the United States, including his family history, his work as an Augustinian priest, and his time later as a bishop and cardinal
• An investigation across diverse sources that reveals the ten issues closest to the heart of Robert Francis Prevost
• The challenges and signs of hope facing Pope Leo XIV
• A global report on the state of the Catholic Church
The election of Leo XIV is one of the most surprising historical events in the recent history of the Catholic Church. Through this book, Catholics and all people of good will understand why he was chosen Bishop of Rome.”
About the author we are informed:
“Jesús Colina has been a Vatican correspondent for international media since 1991. Born in Miranda de Ebro, Spain, he is the founder and former director of the international news agency Zenit and served as content director for RIIAL, the Church's IT network in Latin America. He was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Aleteia.org, a global Catholic network. Appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Colina served as CEO of IMedia, the French-language news agency specializing in Vatican affairs, from 2018 to 2023. He holds an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and has received numerous awards, including the "Path to Peace" Foundation's "Servant of Peace" prize at the United Nations in New York and the "¡Bravo!" award from the Spanish Bishops' Conference.”
The chapters in this volume are:
1: Why Has Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost Been Elected Pope?
2: Robert Francis Prevost, the First American Pope
3: A New Pope for a New World
4: A Pope for the End of Christendom
5: The Numbers of the Catholic Church of Pope Leo XIV
6: The Challenges Facing the Catholic Church Today
7: Signs of Hope
8: Ten Messages Pope Leo XIV Carries in His Heart
Epilogue: “Without Fear”
Notes
I highlighted a number of sections in this volume, some of them are:
“The most important struggle for the Church at this time, Riccardi says, is not against external enemies, but against internal divisions and external indifference and discredit.”
“The conclave was preceded by the so-called general congregations, meetings in which all cardinals, including those who could not participate in the conclave because they were over eighty years old, discussed the historical challenge facing the Catholic Church and the profile that the new Bishop of Rome should have.”
“They paid attention to the sparkle in his eyes and, above all, to his serene, unforced smile. They consulted his biography, and what stood out to them was not only his ability to advise the pope in the selection and governance of bishops around the world, but his missionary spirit. They saw a son of Saint Augustine capable of inspiring love.”
The election of Leo XIV was, above all, a surprise, primarily because of the name of the chosen candidate, who was not among the top preferences on the lists of papabile published by journalists in the days leading up to the vote.”
“It was also surprising for the speed of the election: Only four ballots were needed to reach the two-thirds majority—at least eighty-nine votes.”
“In this conclave, regardless of whether a cardinal was considered “conservative” or “progressive,” there was broad agreement that one of the greatest challenges facing the Church today is unity—unity in a world threatened by the hatred of polarization, unity in a Church suffering from deep internal divisions.”
“Now, in 2025, how was it possible for the conclave to elect an American pope, something totally unimaginable just over sixty years ago? The man’s biography is the best answer.”
“During his time at the seminary, Prevost stood out both for his academic excellence and his leadership skills. He was editor in chief of the school yearbook, vice president of the student council, and president of his class his senior year.”
“On September 1, 1977, Robert entered the novitiate of the Order of St. Augustine in St. Louis, part of the Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel. As a novice, he lived in community with other young people and Augustinian religious, experiencing firsthand the fundamental values of the Order of St. Augustine.”
“His approachable and humble manner, combined with a solid analytical ability—in part inherited from his academic training—enabled him to govern the Order of St. Augustine with a spirit of deep listening, but at the same time with firmness and a spirit of service, earning the appreciation of his religious brothers.”
“Regarding the role of women in the Church, Cardinal Prevost, in a press conference given in the context of the Synod on Synodality on October 25, 2023, maintained a position in line with traditional doctrine on the non-ordination of women to the priesthood. He noted that the “clericalization of women” would not solve existing problems and might even create new ones.”
“Pope Leo XIII, with his historic encyclical Rerum Novarum, addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution; and today the Church offers to all its heritage of social doctrine to respond to another industrial revolution and the advances of artificial intelligence, which pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and work.”
“To face this immense challenge, the Church needs unity, creativity, and dynamism. Now it has at its helm a humble man, in love with God, with an ardent missionary spirit.”
“The pontificate of Pope Leo will need to pursue, among other important goals, a deep spiritual renewal among African bishops, priests, and seminarians—encouraging them to place the Gospel at the heart of their lives, choices, and witness above all other interests, including social recognition or material gain.”
“Until a few years ago, the Catholic communities of Latin America were largely dependent on the contribution of missionary priests from Europe and the United States. The pontificate of Pope Leo XIV has the great challenge of transforming the Church in Latin America from a territory of missionaries to a protagonist of mission, not only in its own dioceses, but also in offering its human resources to other continents.”
“XIV will be the pope of a world with fewer and fewer children—a colossal challenge for the Catholic Church, which has historically found the family to be its natural environment for transmitting the Faith.”
“Now, if we want to analyze this period from a more strictly religious point of view, we can conclude that Pope Leo XIV is facing an era of post-Christendom—that is, an era in which Christianity has lost its dominant social and institutional role, but in which Christians are still dynamic, although they have become minorities.”
“The creative minorities in the post-Christendom era recognize, first, that being an active Christian is now a choice rather than a matter of social conformity. This means that Christians of the future will be active believers because they have chosen to live out the teachings of Jesus.”
“After all, it is possible now more than ever for the richness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to become a reason for hope for men and women in this post-Christian era. In this existential crisis, Christianity can become a reference of life for contemporary society for three obvious reasons.”
“In a world where the number of these young people has decreased, even as their Christian commitment has increased, the new pope will have to find ways to show today’s young people that they are not alone, even when it seems that their whole lives are spent rowing against the tide of society.”
“The future does not lie in returning to the security of a lost Christendom, but in living the challenge of the unknown, trusting in God’s love. The West, after the drift of materialism—the true cancer of our society—will eventually rediscover Christianity, and Jesus Christ, as the beacon of humanity.”
“Robert Prevost is a man of his word, but he is not a man of many words. He has dedicated his ministry as a priest, a missionary, an Augustinian superior, and a bishop to serving those around him. He has not written any books, except for a doctoral thesis on canon law. He has not left behind any major documents. He has been a pastor with his words, but these have rarely been recorded.”
“For this reason, for Prevost, this personal encounter with Christ is the very center of the Christian experience, the reason capable of transforming human life.”
“On the other hand, Pope Leo learned from Augustine the importance of interiority, as expressed in the saint’s Confessions, a pioneering work in the history of autobiographoies: “You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Like Augustine, Robert Prevost understands that Christians not only believe, they question, seek, desire, suffer, and convert. The experience of God is deeply existential.”
“To the skeptics who predicted a Church fractured and void of direction, the conclave responded with the surprising figure of a missionary, a man who has reignited faith and spiritual vitality in places as far apart as the United States, Peru, and Cuba. Pope Leo XIV stands as living proof that Christianity is not ending; it is only beginning anew.”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. This book was an interesting read, and one I am thankful I gave a read. Prior to the conclave there was a lot of talk about cardinals who were papabile. And Robert Francis Prevost, was on a few lists in the secondary tier. Mainly because like many other it was never thought possible of seeing an American Pope in our life time. But God is a God of surprises.
My favourite part of this volume was the final chapter: “Ten Messages Pope Leo XIV Carries in His Heart”, they are:
1. “God Loves Us … All of Us”
2. Encountering Christ: The Heart of Christianity
3. Jesus Among Us: The Forms of His Presence
4. Unity in the Church
5. Evangelization: More Than Words
6. Near to the Poor and Vulnerable
7. Business, Politics, and Society in Service of the Common Good
8. The Family as a School of Generosity and Discernment
9. Protagonists in the Church: Women and the Laity
10. Saint Augustine: Father and Timeless Advisor
Which reminded me a lot of 10 Things Pope Leo XIV Wants You to Know by Sister Gemma Morató Sendra, OP from Liguori Publications, but is also part of a larger forthcoming volume. There was also a great section on Rerum Novarum: Encyclical Letter Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour by Pope Leo XIII and its influence on Pope Leo XIV.
But overall this volume felt a little off. I loved the first chapter and the last, they were excellent. They were obviously written after the conclave and the focus is on Pope Leo XIV. Most of the middle ones feel like they had been prewritten and just had a paragraph or 2 added to the beginning or end on how it relates to Pope Leo XIV. That whole middle section was all about the state of the church, around the world, internal and external conflicts. And was mostly a statistical breakdown of changes in the church over the last 20ish years.
Overall I would give this volume a solid 4 stars. Only time will tell how it compares to others I already want to read, that are not available, or future volumes. I am thankful I have it a read, but put it down for several days and there was no urgency in picking it back up, which is unusual for me. A good effort and starting place, for those looking to read up on Pope Leo XIV.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books about Pope Leo XIV:
LEO XIV: Portrait of the First American Pope - Matthew Bunson
When the White Smoke Clears: A Guide to Pope Leo XIV's Early Days
- Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins, Dr. Edward Sri, Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Fr. Josh Johnson, and Katie Prejean McGrady
Pope Leo XIV Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy - Christopher White
Books By Pope Leo XVI:
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Related Posts:
Rerum Novarum: Encyclical Letter Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour - Pope Leo XIII - CTS Books
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