Editorial of May 15, 2025

An American in Rome

Last week the world got a new pope. Although this doesn’t happen very often, it is an exciting moment for the Catholic Church, as it is as well for everyone. Our new pope’s predecessor, Francis, died last month, setting the stage for this particular conclave, which, it turned out, was a relatively easy one, lasting a mere two days (as had the conclave for Francis). Conclaves can go on and on; one such went on for two years, nine months and two days, ending on September 1, 1271, with the election of Gregory X, but it’s been nearly two centuries since a conclave has taken longer than a week. An election needs a two-thirds majority vote from the cardinals; in this case, with 133 cardinals eligible to vote, the magic number was 89.

Robert Francis Prevost, the new supercleric, has chosen to be called Pope Leo XIV, after Pope Leo XIII, whose papal service spanned the last quarter of the 19th century, and who is distinguished for writing, in 1891, “Rerum Novarum” (or, “Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor”), which addresses the needs and dignity of the working class and was influential in the establishment of the church’s tradition of social justice. This is a good start.