What Saint Augustine Can Teach Us About Pope Leo XIV

Be a Bridge to Someone ~ The Imaginative Conservative

During these days since the election of Pope Leo XIV, I’ve been reflecting on one of his many titles: Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church (Summus Pontifex Ecclesiae Universalis). It raises the question, what’s a pontiff? Pontiff comes from the Latin word pontifex. Breaking it down, pons means “bridge” and fex is a suffix which refers to the word that means “to make”. The title, then, “Supreme Pontiff,” reveals that the Holy Father is the “gr…

What Saint Augustine Can Teach us About Pope Leo XIV

Standing in front of the cascade of crimson curtains on the balcony of Saint Peter’s on the evening of May 8, with an emotional crowd undulating below him, the new pope, Leo XIV, gave his first address “Urbi et Orbi,” to Rome and the world, proclaiming “I am a son of Saint Augustine.” Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian friar. What does that mean? [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The Augustinian order was founded in Italy in the 1200s. But it took it…

Reflections on Pope Leo from the Franciscan tradition

"Leo XIV" is a name that carries many layers of significance—and connects the new pope’s legacy with that of his predecessor, Francis.

American, Peruvian, French? Following the election of Robert Francis Prevost Martínez, several countries are claiming Pope Leo XIV as their own. But his identity isn't found in a passport. "Robert was an Augustinian for Augustinians," says a nun who accompanied him in Peru and recalled how his vocation for service was evident in 2023, when the then bishop walked the streets of Chiclayo to bring food and supplies to flood victims.