Habemus Papam
Image generated by Chat GPT
Who is Robert Prevost, the new Pope Leo XIV?
Even before his name was announced from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, the crowds below were chanting "Viva il Papa" - Long live the Pope.
Robert Prevost, 69, will be the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter and he will be known as Leo XIV.
He is the first American to fill the role of Pope, although he is considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru, before becoming a bishop there.
Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Prevost served as an altar boy and was ordained as a priest in 1982. Although he moved to Peru three years later, he returned regularly to the US to serve as a pastor and a prior in his home city.
He has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build bridges.
He spent 10 years as a local parish pastor and as a teacher at a seminary in Trujillo in northwestern Peru.
In his first words as Pope, Leo XIV spoke fondly of his predecessor Francis.
"We still hear in our ears the weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis who blessed us," he said.
"United and hand in hand with God, let us advance together," he told cheering crowds.
He also spoke of his role in the Augustinian Order. He was 30 when he moved to Peru as part of an Augustinian mission.
Francis made him Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru a year after becoming Pope.
He is well known to cardinals because of his high-profile role as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Latin America which has the important task of selecting and supervising bishops.
He became archbishop at the same time in January 2023 and within a few months Francis made him a cardinal.
As 80% of the cardinals who took part in the conclave were appointed by Francis, it is not all that surprising that someone like Prevost was elected, even if he was only recently appointed.
What are Pope Leo's views?
He will be seen as a figure who favoured the continuity of Francis' reforms in the Catholic Church.
Prevost is believed to have shared Francis' views on migrants, the poor and the environment.
Although he is an American, and will be fully aware of the divisions within the Catholic Church, his Latin American background also represents continuity after a Pope who came from Argentina.
The Vatican described him as the second pope from the Americas, after Pope Francis, as well as the the first Augustinian pope.
During his time in Peru he has not escaped the sexual abuse scandals that have clouded the Church, however his diocese fervently denied he had been involved in any attempted cover-up.
Before the conclave, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that during gatherings of the College of Cardinals in the days before the conclave they emphasised the need for a pope with "a prophetic spirit capable of leading a Church that does not close in on itself but knows how to go out and bring light to a world marked by despair".
What are your first impressions of Pope Leo XIV based on his background and experiences?
Should the Pope get involved in global political or environmental issues, or focus only on religious matters?
In your opinion, how much influence does the Pope still have in today’s society? Is it more symbolic or truly powerful?
Comments
In the first place, the image generated by Chat GPT doesn´t look like Robert Prevost, the Pope Leo XIV, as we can see in the newspaper. The ear of the image by GPT is bigger than his head. Secondly, his face is very different than how he is in reality.
At first sight, he is good, I like his appearance, but we will judge. We must give 100 days like politicians. As he is American, Peruvian, Spanish, Franco-Italian, at least, people from these countries have receive him very well. He has been altar boy, priest, bishop, archbishop, cardenal and Pope. It´s incredible. I suppose that nobody can have a curriculum vitae like this. Perhaps, the most important thing is that he was as a missionary in Peru, working with marginalised communities and helping humble people.
He knows that a lot of people didn´t like his predecessor Pope Francis, but in spite of it, he defended his predecesor. It was a good detail what proves that he is inteligent man. I don´t think that he will continue the same style of Pope Francis about migrants, the poor and the environment. In my opinion, before doing instructions about the environment, he should worry about situation of the Catholic Church and the faithful of the Catholic Church who are chased in many countries of the world.
See you.
Chat GPT doesn't create images of well-known people but it will create an image in the style of the person whose image you request (see Greta Thunberg and your friend Pedro in more recent posts).
First of all, the image generated by Chat GPT doesn't look like Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, (the Pope / the King but if you give their name then without "the") that we see in the newspaper. The ear of the image by GPT is bigger than his head. Secondly, his face is very different than how he is in reality.
My first impression is positive, I like his appearance, but let's see. We must give him 100 days like we do for politicians. As he is American, Peruvian, Spanish, Franco-Italian, at least, people from these countries received him very well. He has been an altar boy, priest, bishop, archbishop, cardinal and now Pope. It´s incredible. I suppose that nobody else has a curriculum vitae like this. Perhaps, the most important thing is that he was as a missionary in Peru, working with marginalised communities and helping humble people.
He knows that a lot of people didn't like his predecessor Pope Francis, but in spite of this, he defended his predecessor. It was a detail which proves that he is an intelligent man. I don´t think that he will continue in the same style as Pope Francis as far as migrants, the poor and the environment is concerned. In my opinion, before giving instructions related to the environment, he should worry about the situation of the Catholic Church and the faithful of the Catholic Church who are persecuted in many countries of the world.