Understanding Pope Leo XIV’s Politics
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“Angels Unawares” by Canadian Timothy Schmalz (Photo by Cesar Polvoroza, Jr.)
The compelling story of Pope Leo XIV has emerged. The first American Pope’s immigrant background, scholarship, multilingual skills, and long years of missionary work in Peru–given recognition with his Peruvian citizenship–shape his outlook. To fully appreciate the deep significance of the new Papacy to migrants, refugees, and the poor, an analysis of the historical context is also needed. It is a journey that takes us to both Latin America and the Philippines.
Latin American and Philippine Connection
Latin America has had a troubled history. Spanish and Portuguese colonizers instituted the feudal encomienda system to plunder the riches of the region. Its legacies were extractive institutions, rigid social classes, and severe income inequality. The resulting social injustice and poverty engendered long-running insurgencies. Inept governance by rapacious elites led to ruinous boom-and-bust cycles and lost decades for the economy. Broken institutions and power struggles led to periods of strongman rule. It is uncanny that Latin America’s experience mirrors that of the Philippines. These are regions where religiosity and political upheavals coexist.
Role of the Church
The Spanish and Portuguese Conquistadores planted the Catholic Cross in vast swathes of Latin America – from the Pampas and the Amazon rain forest to the Andes Mountains and the lush tropical isles of the Philippines in Asia.
The Church played a central role in maintaining colonial control for centuries by inculcating subservience to colonial authorities. The Spanish colonial regime in the Philippines knew that more education beyond basic literacy would lead to a more independence-minded Filipino clergy and intellingentsia. Indeed, in the late 1800s the Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal and other nationalists wrote eloquently on the corruption of the Spanish clergy.
"Expedición de Almagro a Chile" Painting of Diego de Almagro's expedition through the Andes.
Illustrious Predecessors: What’s In a Name?
The ascension of Pope Leo XIV has strikingly understated importance as Church dominion is based on symbols. The Papal name that Robert Francis Prevost assumes reveals insights into the dynamism and relevance of the Church in the modern world.
Pope Leo XIV belongs to the Augustinian Order, named after St. Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD), who lived during the turbulent twilight of the Roman Empire. In that Age of Migrations, invading barbarian tribes also included refugees consisting of displaced women, children, and elderly fleeing marauding Huns. Like today, many were just escaping war and searching for a better life. Like today, they were angels unawares. Foreshadowing the cosmopolitan West by centuries, Augustine was a Romanized North African Berber, echoing the current Pope’s African, French, Italian, and Spanish ethnicity. Having lived in the US while working in the margins, Pope Leo XIV is emerging as the modern Augustine. Inspired by the life of St. Augustine, the Augustinian Order emphasizes service, education, communal life, and pastoral care. Trailblazing Augustine friars were the first Christian missionaries to settle in the Philippines. The San Augustin Church and Monastery was established as early as 1575.
Pope Leo XIV (Source: Flickr)
A generation after Augustine, Pope Leo I (Leo the Great 391 – 461 AD) gained historic fame by dissuading Attila the Hun in 452 A.D. from sacking Rome. It thus symbolized the triumph of moral courage, eloquence, and diplomacy over violence and the irrationality of war. The role of Pope Leo I as peacemaker presages the present-day Pope Leo XIV who, early in his Papacy, offered the facilities of The Vatican for any Peace Talks between Putin and Zelensky. In these volatile times a statesman-like Pontiff of Peace is needed as an icon of the world’s moral compass.
Pope Leo XIII (1810 – 1903) on the other hand was the immediate Pontifical predecessor named Leo. He actively called for the protection of Industrial laborers and for just wages for workers. Particularly groundbreaking is his encyclical Rerum Novarum or the Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor. The early Industrial Revolution of the late 18th to early 19th centuries had been notorious for the “satanic mills” that mirrored the dark side of nascent Capitalism.
Now, in the 21st Century post-industrial era of Pope Leo XIV, the world confronts the challenges of capitalism, of labor displacement, sweatshops, and the rise of AI and automation. The alienation and exploitation of labor continue to be overarching issues, from the maquiladoras of Latin America to the factories of Asia. The Philippines and other developing countries are the hewers of wood and drawers of water in the world economy. There are more than two million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and the majority of these are laborers, unskilled workers, caregivers, and domestic workers.
Theology of Liberation
Theology of Liberation emerged in Latin America as a movement to make the gospel more relevant to the marginalized and the oppressed, with emphasis on social issues and humane living conditions.
The Marcos Dictatorship (1972 – 1986) with its gross human rights abuses triggered the rise of the Theology of Liberation in the Philippines, particularly through the formation of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs), small, grassroots-level communities organized around prayers and Bible study under the auspices of the Church.
Pope Leo XIV, though American-born, served more than two decades in Peru and was deeply involved with the poor and oppressed. He is a scholar and missionary with an intimate understanding of the harsh Latin America milieu, brutal turmoil, and civil wars. His advocacy for pastoral approach and justice for the poor is a nuanced support for the Theology of Liberation, which is controversial in the Church due to its Marxist theoretical foundation.
Pope Leo XIV when he was Bishop Robert Prevost leading the Anniversary Celebration of the Diocese of Chulucanas in Peru (SOurce: AP/Diocese of Chulucanas)
World Systems Theory
Deepening of globalization has fueled modern migrations, with multitudes migrating from “Periphery” countries or the former colonies in the Global South to seek better lives in the “Core” countries of the Global North, to use the framework of Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory,
Some professionals from developing countries are “pulled” by the lucrative careers in the West, but the majority of migrants are “pushed” by the lack of jobs, by corruption and political persecution. Individual fortitude and resilience enable some to prosper in the West, but many others have been stymied by racial discrimination and prejudicial vestiges from the colonial era.
The colonial experience also fostered a feudal mindset. Many immigrants tend to support authoritarian rulers who trample on human rights. The idea that strongman rule leads to economic development has been a disquieting delusion of many in Latin America and the Philippines.
In the Philippines, many continue to support political dynasties that hold back economic progress, the very same families that have driven them to work abroad. In many cases children of migrants and overseas workers have supported the descendants of the traditional politicians.
Church Imperative
The fault lines of society are both deepening and widening. Climate crisis and geopolitical conflicts have created more refugees and migrants while making host societies–whose workers face stagnant wages, huge debts, and broken social welfare systems–less welcoming.
Pope Leo XIV is critical of President Trump’s immigration policies. Tensions between the Vatican and the Trump Administration can be expected due to differences in world view.
On June 14, Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, addressed young people in a video message in a mass in Chicago where he was born, calling on them to be kind and be of service to others. The timing, on the same date of a military parade in Washington DC celebrating the US Army’s 250th Anniversary and the birthday of Pres. Trump as millions marched in nationwide “No Kings” protests, garnered much media attention.
Pope Leo XIV is a protégé of the late Pope Francis who was molded by a similar background and experiences. With a known progressive stance, he is expected to be an activist on the social justice issues. He has spoken against the “exclusionary mindset” and “political nationalisms” (The Guardian). The Church, he said, “must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race.”
This moral leadership transcends rhetorics. On World Refugee Day, June 20, Pope Leo XIV’s first US Bishop called on the clergy and the ministry leaders in San Diego to escort asylum seekers to court. Upon seeing them, it was reported that the waiting ICE agents quickly left (The Latin Times). Church leadership matters whether in rhetoric or concrete actions.
The Church, he said, “must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race.”
In this context, Filipinos and Latin Americans must reflect on the teachings of the Church in their relationships with their governments, even as the Church continues to fulfill its role in education and charity work. The role of the Church in education over the longer term will emphasize genuine reforms and critical thinking in order to produce compassionate leaders and well-informed citizens. The situation is especially critical in the Philippines as the country’s education metrics through PISA (Program for International Student Assessment Assessment) test scores have plummeted.
Some Filipinos were disappointed that the Conclave did not choose a Filipino as the new Pope. However, the American-Peruvian citizen Pope Leo, the son of immigrants with extensive experience in missionary work in Latin America, a well-known progressive with a proven track record in defending human rights, is the best choice for Roman Catholics worldwide and for Filipino Catholics in particular. Many Filipinos say that during the dark days of the Duterte Administration and at the height of its deadly tokhang campaign, Catholic Church leadership remained a mute witness. Filipinos need assurance that, should the need arise again, the Church leadership would display moral courage in defense of human rights.
A just and benevolent society is only possible with devoted leaders, true public servants, and a critical thinking citizenry that treat immigrants, refugees, foreigners, strangers, and vulnerable communities with compassion.
Cesar Polvorosa Jr. is a professor of economics and international business at a Canadian university. His essays, poems and/or short stories have been published in North American and Asian publications including Likhaan Book of Poetry and Fiction and Philippine Star.
