Journalists and Vatican experts offered insight and analysis into the first weeks of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy on June 17, during a panel discussion hosted by Outreach.
Reflecting on interactions with Pope Leo before his election and statements from the first U.S.-born pope, panelists said that there are clues that Leo intends to continue some of the reforms initiated by his predecessor, Pope Francis, but added that only time will tell where exactly Leo intends to lead the church.
The panel featured:
- Kim Daniels, director, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University
- James Longman, ABC News chief international correspondent
- James Martin, S.J., Outreach founder
- Michael J. O’Loughlin, executive director, Outreach
- Anna Rowlands, chair, Centre for Catholic Social Thought and Practice
Highlights of the discussion include:
- Describing interactions with Cardinal Robert Prevost before his election as pope (18:00)
- Kim Daniels on the narrative of Pope Leo is taking shape in the media (23:45)
- James Longman on the papacy as a global news story (27:26)
- James Martin, S.J., on Pope Leo and LGBTQ issues (35:13)
- Anna Rowlands on synodality (38:57)
- What Pope Leo’s choice of traditional garb might signal (53:54)
- Relationship between Pope Leo and the U.S. hierarchy (56:45)
