That announcement provides an easy and convenient verbal prop for making a post. We have a Pope! With the news of the election of Pope Leo XIV as successor to the late Pope Francis I, we are treated to a novel turn of events. It happened quickly, between the first vote in the evening and another the next morning. White smoke in less than twenty-four hours! A surprise to all, baffling even the official Catholic punditry that closely followed and commented on the candidates among the Cardinals gathered in Conclave at the Vatican to elect one of their own to become the Supreme Pontiff. Robert Francis Prevost, American, born in Chicago, and considered a long shot for the papal throne, defied most of the predictions and stupefied his American friends and fellow clergy from his university and seminary days. Might this qualify as a black swan event?

Rather than finding his American heritage a hinderance, his fellow cardinals recognized his profound pastoral understanding of the global mission of the Church as an Augustinian missionary priest who had spent decades serving poor communities in remote areas of Peru. Although he grew up in Chicago, Illinois, Robert Cardinal Prevost spent almost two-thirds of his life serving the Catholic Church internationally, not only as bishop in Peru, but also in Rome when Pope Francis I appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. His missionary experience in Peru made him particularly attuned to issues of social justice, poverty, and inclusion—aligning him with Pope Francis’s priorities for reaching out to poor and marginalized communities. Colleagues point to his years as an Augustinian friar that emphasize his humility, collegiality, and theological reflection. So although he was raised an American (with dual citizenship since he became a Peruvian citizen in 2015), Pope Leo XIV clearly represents the global commitment of the Church and the sharp focus on social justice promoted by his papal namesake, Pope Leo XIII.

When he emerged from behind the curtains and stepped forward on the loggia to greet the throngs of Catholic (and, of course, many non-Catholic) well-wishers, he spoke in Italian: La Pace Sia Con Tutti Voi! “Peace be with all of you!”

He went on to stress unity, dialogue, and missionary evangelization, and he invoked the blessing of his predecessor, Pope Francis. “This is the peace of the Risen Christ: a disarmed peace, a disarming peace, humble and persevering, it comes from God, God who loves us all unconditionally.” His speech reflected themes of humility, perseverance, and God’s unconditional love. Love … isn’t that an idea that we overlook these days? Don’t we tend to find it hard to love those that are not just like us? Don’t we prefer to denounce them for their difference, to eject them from our presence? We can’t abide their poverty, their otherness, and so we ignore their human need for compassion, dignity, and justice. Despite all that we profess about our integrity, our ethics, our compassionate society, we thrust them away from us and treat them as human rubbish. I say this in defense of humanity, not criminality. The latter must be dealt with by the laws that deal with crimes and criminals, and apply the appropriate consequences. But the former calls for humane treatment, fairness, and compassion, the basic traits of any civilized society that claims to value every human person as a child of God.

We should all take time to reflect on the inaugural message spoken by Pope Leo XIV, our American compatriot, and commit to expunging hatred and division from our hearts, to promoting mercy and the love of God for all of his creatures. You don’t have to be Catholic to do this. I’m not. And as His Holiness begins his pontificate, let us join him in saying: La Pace Sia Con Voi! Pax Vobiscum! Peace Be With You!