Pope On A Rope

A lion in winter

Regular readers here know that I have specific thoughts on the Roman church, its claims of papal supremacy and eminent domain over the planet, and its long history at the foundation of modern Western civilization. If you are born, raised and educated in the Western world, then much of how you view the Universe begins at the steps of the Vatican.

Though I have little truck with organized religion these days, I keep a close eye on doings in Rome, because they will have real and tangible effects on Western civilization in ways that may not be readily apparent. Holding, as it does, spiritual and temporal authority in the Western world, and influencing a significant portion of the population (~20%), when Rome sneezes, Europe catches a cold, as the old trope goes.

So what to make of the new pope, and what does it portend for social, political and spiritual currents in world affairs? Let’s dive into his background and see what Rome is signalling with this election.

Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost was born in 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to a French-Italian father and a Spanish mother. He holds a degree in mathematics from Villanova University, speaks five languages, joined the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) where he became a priest in 1985, and spent many years in Peru, where he hold dual citizenship.

Now, if you’ve read my book Paper Golem, St. Augustine’s name should pop right out at you. It was Augustine who gave us the concept of Original Sin (collective guilt), Rationalism (Platonic philosophy), and members of the church being part of a single Body (incorporation). The Order’s foundational principles include:

1. Interiority - “Return to your heart... there do you see what you can learn of God.” — Confessions. Augustinians believe that truth is found by turning inward — not in isolation, but in the context of divine illumination. The soul must quiet itself, examine its motives, and seek God within.

2. Restlessness for God - “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
   This is Augustine's most famous line — and the heartbeat of the Order’s spiritual ethos. Humans are inherently drawn to the divine. All human longing points toward God, and all disordered loves — pride, ambition, lust, greed — are attempts to fill that void.

3. Community of Charity and Unity - “Live together in harmony, be of one mind and heart on the way to God.” — Rule of St Augustine. The Augustinian way is communal, not monastic in the cloistered sense. They live, pray, and serve as a brotherhood, emphasizing unity in diversity. This distinguishes them from more eremitic or solitary religious orders.

4. Love as the Path to Knowledge - For Augustine, love is not just emotion but epistemology — a way of knowing. To love rightly is to understand rightly. Misordered love (cupiditas) leads to false knowledge; rightly ordered love (caritas) brings one into truth and communion with God.

5. Theological Realism & Grace - Augustinians hold a realistic view of human nature: fallen, prone to sin, but redeemable through grace. Salvation isn't earned by merit but gifted. Human effort must be cooperative with grace, not self-reliant.

6. The Church as the Pilgrim People of God - The Augustinian vision sees the Church as a pilgrim city (Civitas Dei) en route to heaven, existing in tension with the earthly city (Civitas Terrena). This gives them a practical, reform-minded approach to the institutional Church — they engage it, not escape it.

The first message we can take away is that Leo XIV has extensive experience in Latin America, while being born and raised in the USA. I read this as being sensitive to the socio-political issues involved in the mass migrations of recent years. How he’ll interpret that into policy remains to be seen, but in the minds of many he would speak with authority on the subject.

As an Augustinian, he is rooted in collectivism and “unity through diversity”. However, he is likely committed to Platonic rationalism, enhanced by his background in mathematics. In putting these pieces together, I see someone more interested in communal efforts to improve the local community, rather than raiding others and in the process destroying both. How this plays out will depend on his reputation for moderation and balanced approaches (centrism).

In any case, given his background, Leo XIV is likely to take an orthodox line on social issues such as genderism, marriage, abortion, family, and women’s roles in the church (ordination, deaconates, etc.). His math background may imply an effort to clean up Vatican finances (good luck), and we don’t have a clear picture of where he will go with clergy scandals, though there are indications of a reformist focus, as we shall see.

Another signal sent out is Cardinal Prevost’s choice of “Leone/Leo” as the name of his papacy. Popes often indicate their intentions with their choice of name. In my lifetime, we saw the modernizing popes John XX!!! and Paul VI, continued in John Paul ! and John Paul II. Francis I signalled a new direction, and one not well liked by many Catholics. So what does Leo XIV tell us?

If Pope Leo XIV wanted to signal calm, principled leadership in a fractured world — while also invoking the spirit of reform and global outreach — he picked exactly the right name. The name implies moral authority (Leo IX), engagement with the modern world (Leo XIII), and institutional continuity — a “lion of the Church” image that connotes a steady, courageous hand.

Leo XIII (1878–1903), the modernizer, was known for his encyclical Rerum Novarum, he addressed the rights of workers and the duties of capitalists, effectively founding modern Catholic social teaching. His papacy bridged tradition and modernity with an eye on reason and dialogue. He also opened the Vatican Archives to researchers and was a big fan of Thomas Aquinas. I suspect this is the primary focus of Cardinal Prevost’s choice.

One interesting blip on my radar is Leo IX (1049–1054), who was the central figure in the East-West schism that led to Greek and Russian Orthodoxy. Given my contention that the Ukraine war, at its deepest level, is a hot war between Rome and Constantinople, this might subtly indicate an active interest in the outcome of that conflict.

Additionally, it was Leo III (795–816) who crowned Charlemagne and set in motion the events that led to Boniface VIII’s Unam Sanctam (1302) of myth and legend.

One other thing before we tie all this up. The lion is the traditional symbol of St. Mark the Evangelist — it appears in Christian iconography, especially in the four tetramorphic symbols of the Evangelists (lion, ox, man, eagle). The lion symbolizes courage, royal authority, and resurrection — qualities embodied in both Mark’s Gospel and in strong papal leadership. I especially note “courage” and “royal authority,” particularly in context of our previous discussion of Unam Sanctam.

My interpretation of all these tea leaves is that first, the Vatican is focusing on the New World with a pope who stands in both hemispheres. It intends to reassert papal authority, though with perhaps a reasoned and even-handed approach. I also catch a whiff of activity on the East-West front, though in which direction isn’t clear. The imagry of “courage” tells me one group or another aren’t going to be happy with the direction the Vatican takes, and bold, stalwart response will be necessary.

I am a bit put off by the connotations of collectivism. The call-back to Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, arguably the intellectual heart of Marxist/Socialist ideology, and the impetus for modern labor unions (for better or worse). The focus on Augustine and Aquinas appears to reassert what I consider to be the Great Flaw at the root of Western civilization, and the root cause of much of the social discord today.

In all, I get a distinct collectivist vibe from this election and choice of names. It could be worse. He could have gone with Sylvester or Pius, but for anyone who appreciates the most noble aspirations of the Enlightenment, these events would indicate a subtle but distinct effort to roll back individualist reforms.

Time will tell, as it always does, but I find myself captivated by Rome’s response to the end of the Piscean Age, and the great conflagrations that mark such epochs. Just as Cardinal Prevost stands on two continents, the Vatican appears to be squaring up with feet planted firmly in orthodox reform, with all the implications such an inherent dichotomy carries.

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There is one film that fits like a hand in glove for today’s topic: The Pope’s Toilet (2007). A joint production between Uruguay and Brazil, the story focuses on a small, rural village preparing for the pope’s visit by building the first modern lavatory in the village, and charging admission. Great story and very well done with authentic performances.

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