Although less than a week has passed since Pope Leo XIV was elected at the conclave of cardinals, gathered to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church, much has already been said about the new pontiff and what is expected from his papacy.
While he is widely seen as someone capable of uniting a divided Church, he is expected to continue Pope Francis’ legacy.
However, some conservatives hope the new pontiff will embrace a more traditionalist approach.
His relationship with the United States will also be one to watch, especially given that some factions within the American Catholic Church align with US President Donald Trump’s policies.
“He is largely unknown — that’s the big question," Father Patrick Mary Briscoe, the editor of Our Sunday Visitor, told Euronews.
"Some bloggers and others have reacted quite strongly. They’re nervous about some of the pope’s political views. For example, we’ve seen tweets responding in particular to Vice President (JD) Vance, so there’s a bit of concern from the right side of the political spectrum," Father Briscoe explained.
"But overall, we just don’t know much - this pope hadn’t said a lot before being elected, and we’re only just getting to know him. I think it’s too early to tell, and we’ll see how things go."
Some hardliners have even suggested that the new pontiff may end up clashing with Trump on a number of issues. They argue that he doesn’t appear to be supportive enough of the US president’s MAGA ("Make America Great Again") political agenda.
However, others say the supreme pontiff cannot take sides.
“If the pope were too aligned with American politics it would impinge his mission. The pope has to lead the Church and that means leading the universal Church, the whole of the Catholic Church," Father Briscoe said.
"So if the pope’s main concern were a particular view on American politics, it would harm his mission and role, which is to be (the heir to Saint) Peter.”
