An Augustinian at the Vatican

The election of Robert Francis Prevost to the See of Rome seemed to have taken most observers by surprise, confirming the old Roman saying: “He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal.” As Prevost emerged on the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica, all eyes were on him and his every move.

Much has been written about the choice of the name Leo XIV. The director of the Holy See’s press office, Matteo Bruni, noted that it is in homage to Leo XIII, the author of the encyclical Rerum Novarum and an apparent “reference to the lives of men and women, to their work – even in an age marked by artificial intelligence”.

Yet, other popes went by this name. The holy Leo the Great is said to have met Atilla the Hun next to Mantua, persuading him to spare further violence on the peninsula. Then, there was Pope Leo X, the famous de Medici pope whose papal bull Exsurge Domine attempted to deal with the most famous Augustinian friar to date – Martin Luther.

Much has also been made about the pope’s nationality. He is the first American pope and has extensive missionary experience in Peru.

Yet, the most significant thing about Prevost is that he is an Augustinian whose spirituality is firmly rooted in the teachings of Augustine of Hippo. He emphasised this in his opening remarks on the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica, adding that famous quote: “For you, I am a bishop, with you, I am a Christian.”

This quote can help us gain some insight into Pope Leo XIV. It is a quote which is redolent of the servant-leadership envisaged by Augustine of Hippo. The original context of the quote gives us some clues.

Augustine of Hippo delivered this sermon on the anniversary of his ordination. Reflecting on his dual identity, bishop and Christian, he adds: “The first is the name of an office undertaken, the second a name of grace; that one means danger, this one salvation.” In reflecting on the burden of the bishopric, Augustine lists some of the duties on his plate:

“The turbulent have to be corrected, the faint-hearted cheered up, the weak supported; the Gospel’s opponents refuted, its insidious enemies guarded against; the unlearned need to be taught, the indolent stirred up, the argumentative checked; the proud must be put in their place, the desperate set on their feet, those engaged in quarrels reconciled; the needy have to be helped, the oppressed to be liberated, the good to be given your backing, the bad to be tolerated; all must be loved.”

Pope Leo’s emphasis on peace is timely and it also bodes well

No doubt, Leo XIV must also make the above his mission. The emphasis on “love” is also a theme of Augustine of Hippo’s spirituality. For Augustine, all virtues are expressions of love:

“Temperance is love offering itself in its integrity to the beloved. Fortitude is love that easily tolerates all things on account of the beloved. Justice is love serving the beloved alone and, as a result, ruling righteously. And prudence is love that wisely separates those things by which it is helped from those by which it is impeded.”

As a man with extensive missionary experience in Peru, who headed the Order of St Augustine for two consecutive terms, the newly-elected Leo XIV is undoubtedly aware of the need for love and the consequences of the lack of such love. The lack of justice and respect and the proliferation of greed are the results of the failure of love.

The theologian Eric Gregory gives some insight which may be pertinent to this discussion: “The problem of political morality for an Augustinian is not so much that we love others too little... the deeper problem is that we love too much in the wrong ways.” He adds: “Our motivations and desires are out of whack, not simply lacking. Our affections are distracted and crowded by their very excess, not their scarcity. They need ordering, not the pruning or repression of desire.”

Pope Leo XIV begins his ministry in an era marked by excess; excess of wealth and consumption in some parts of the world, at the expense of others; excess desires of power and domination, to the detriment of those who are disenfranchised; rooted selfishness and the lack of justice in some ecclesiastical circles, leading to indifference and anger.

He is also aware of three brutal and potentially epoch-changing conflicts around the globe: Ukraine, Gaza and Kashmir. The latter should be of great concern given that it is a conflict between two nuclear powers.

His emphasis on peace is timely and it also bodes well. An Augustinian understanding of peace implies that there can be no peace in the city without peace in the home or one’s heart. Peace, thus, begins with every human person.

As an Augustinian, Pope Leo XIV will be aware that the values of community, justice and service need to be rooted in an interiority which is the lived reality of his spiritual tradition. Interiority – the encounter with God within the self – is necessary to communicate that encounter to others.

Pope Leo XIV is aware that this is not an easy task. In his first homily at the Sistine chapel, he referred to the difficulties of preaching the Gospel. He adds: “A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”

Within this context, Pope Leo XIV has a difficult path ahead. He may, however, take comfort in the example of the figure of Augustine of Hippo, who faced similar existential crises in his time but whose words still provide much food for thought in both religious and secular settings.