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It may seem a small edit by secular standards but within the Roman Catholic Church this was profound.

That he’s an American is a surprise, with Rome being traditionally opposed to the idea of a pontiff from the U.S., even though the Italian newspaper La Repubblica described him as “the least American of the Americans.” It’s impossible to know what was behind the conclave’s decision but in this time of Trump and his antics and a superpower gone mad, an American pope, in some ways a counterweight, who speaks of peace and justice is exquisite.

His choice of name is also significant. The last who used it, Leo XIII, was an intellectual whose 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum” championed the rights of workers to fair wages, safe working conditions and union membership. The church, he insisted, had to be relevant and politically involved.

The new Pope is very much in that tradition of social and economic justice and it’s one of the reasons why Francis advanced him and made it known that the American had papal blessing. In fact, while Cardinal Prevost had a relatively low public profile, he was highly regarded by those with power and influence, including many of those who formed the conclave.

His record is not all positive and Prevost has been criticized by clergy abuse survivors regarding his handling of allegations during his leadership in the Augustinian order and in Peru. It’s a criticism that could also be made of Pope Francis, but it’s highly likely that we’ll see constructive and vital changes in this area, particularly as it could well be a relatively long pontificate. Leo XIII was elected in 1878 and served until his death in 1903!

That possibility will not be pleasing to some in the church. Politically and theologically conservative Catholics gritted their teeth during Francis’s time and hoped and prayed that his successor would be more conservative. They’ll be extremely disappointed in the new choice and while they’re a minority within the church, they tend to have money and influence, especially in the U.S. Think of Vice President JD Vance and you’ll understand the problem and the divide.

The American Pope Leo is arguably more aware of all this than was the Argentinian Pope Francis and that’s for the good. If the church’s reformist agenda is to continue, the Vatican can’t waste time looking in some reactionary mirror and worrying about various criticisms and complaints.

What the Catholic right-wing will do, whether some of them will leave the Roman Catholic Church for a breakaway sect or even Eastern Orthodoxy, is in the long run immaterial.

Christian or not, Catholic or not, this new reign is one of possibilities and promise. A good man, a considerate man, a prayerful man is now the Bishop of Rome, shaping the life of a church of 1.4 billion people — and so many beyond.

With the threat of nuclear war, the triumph of the bully and the thug in international relations, and a horribly widespread feeling of despair, Leo XIV assumes the throne of Peter at a crucial and fragile time. God give him the strength to speak immutable love, and to stand against the dark waves of hatred. God bless him.