ONE YEAR SINCE HIS ELECTION, PONTIFF IS AN ENIGMA.
C 62 NEWSMAX | MAY 2026
alm, normalcy, and familiar- ity: These words best describe the first year of Pope Leo XIV — a striking contrast to the unsettling revolutionary papacy of Francis, his predecessor. Yet Leo remains an enigma, and questions persist about how
and where he is leading the Catholic Church. Since Chicago-born Cardinal Robert
Prevost — the first U.S. pontiff in his- tory — first appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica last May 8 and greet- ed the world with “Peace be with you!” he has worked to heal the polarization of the previous 12 turbulent years of Francis’ pontificate that had brought long-simmering internal church dis- putes to the surface. Leo immediately adopted the tradi-
tional papal vestments Pope Francis had consigned to the vestry, signaling a wish to reassert the dignity and rightful traditions of the Petrine office. He also moved back into the papal apartments, which had stood vacant since Benedict XVI. Together, these symbolic decisions suggested a desire to restore greater or- der to Francis’ turbulent years that the late Cardinal George Pell and others said were characterized by lawlessness. A canon lawyer by training, Leo XIV
acted quickly to consult canonical car- dinal experts, approaching them at a dinner on the day of his election and enlisting their help to restore respect for law and justice in the central gover-
nance of the Catholic Church. He has since worked to govern
through the established organs of the Curia rather than around them. Leo has appointed several reputable canonists to leading curial positions, most notably Archbishop Filippo Ian- none, a respected Italian jurist who succeeded him in his prior role as head of the influential Vatican department for bishops. By placing Iannone at the heart of
episcopal selection, Leo effectively de- clared that canonical and procedural competence, rather than theological novelty or personal charisma, will be decisive in choosing bishops. “The greatness of justice does not di-
minish when it is applied to small mat- ters,” Leo reminded jurists in St. Peter’s Square last September, quoting St. Au- gustine, “but it always emerges when exercised with fidelity to the law and with respect for the person, wherever in the world they may be.” But injustices nevertheless remain,
such as the case of Father Marko Rupnik, a renowned Slovenian mo- saic artist accused of decades of sexu- al, spiritual, and psychological abuse against women. Despite his alleged crimes lead-
ing to his expulsion from the Jesuits in 2023, he remains free and his case has yet to go to trial — despite canon- ists such as Father Gerald Murray of the archdiocese of New York suggest- ing that it could likely be wrapped up within three hours.
PREVIOUS SPREAD: STATUE/CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES / POPE/SIMONE RISOLUTI/VATICAN MEDIA VIA VATICAN POOL/GETTY IMAGES COAT OF ARMS OF THE VATICAN/
ISTOCK.COM/ALVINDOM / OLD PAPER/
ISTOCK.COM/MIROSLAV BOSKOV
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
