The world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics now have a new leader, Pope Leo XIV. What does that mean for the future? The Very Rev. Jason Jalbert, one of the vicars general for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester — which encompasses all of New Hampshire — and the rector of St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Manchester, discusses what the papacy is, former Pope Francis’ legacy and what lies ahead for his successor.
By Rosemary Ford and Caitlin Agnew
This article has been edited for length and clarity.
Melanie Plenda:
For those who may be unfamiliar, can you briefly explain the role of the pope in the Roman Catholic Church?
Father Jalbert:
The pope is the head of the church, the Vicar of Christ. He has many different titles, but most importantly, he's the successor of the apostle Peter. So we call him the successor of St. Peter because Peter received that role from Jesus himself, and we read about it in scriptures. Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” And so the church was built on him.
So each pope after Peter has been the successor of Peter. We respect him very highly because of who he is, the person that's chosen to be the pope then represents Christ on earth for us and for all the Catholics.
Melanie Plenda:
Popes usually pick new names upon their election. Can you explain this tradition and what it means?
Father Jalbert:
It goes back to St. Peter again. Peter, son of Simon, son of John, became Peter, the name that Jesus gave him. And so over the history of the church, those who have been elected as pope have taken on a name, and many of the names have been repeated over and over and over, just like Pope Benedict was the 16th, and now we have Leo, the 14th. Pope Francis was just Pope Francis, because no other Pope ever had the name Francis, and no other pope has ever taken the name Peter. So there will probably never be a Peter the second. They'll only just be one Peter.
The pope's name says a lot about who they are and how they look to the future. So it means a lot to choose that name, and it gives them a whole new identity, when you think about it. It's very life-changing.
Melanie Plenda:
Let’s turn to Pope Francis, who, before becoming pope, was a cardinal in Argentina. He served as pope for 12 years. What impact did he have on the world and the church? What will his legacy be?
Father Jalbert: Like all other popes, they have an impact with the role they have. Everything they say and do has an impact. Going back to the day that Pope Francis was elected — he came out on the front of St. Peter's Basilica in the square, in the white cassock, having just been elected, and he looked pretty serious, because it's a very serious role. There's a great weight to the role of being pope. He came out and he asked people to pray for him.
I think people remember that quite clearly. Then, at the end of his pontificate, after being sick, he went out on that same balcony in St. Peter's Square, asked people to pray for him again, but gave his final blessing — which we didn't think would be his final blessing — to Rome and the world, but then so many different things in between showed his desire to make Christ known. He was an evangelist, he preached, he taught Jesus Christ, and he traveled to many different places throughout his pontificate. He really cared for the poor, the elderly, the sick, the unborn. He had a great desire to lift up the dignity of human life.
During the COVID pandemic, when everybody was just in their homes and not traveling, there he was in the middle of St Peter's Square, praying for the world, praying for each and every one of us. He held the monstrance, which is a gold-looking object that looks like the sun, but in it is the host that we believe is truly Jesus Christ. He blessed the world that evening with Christ in his hands. There are so many different things.
Melanie Plenda:
Turning back to the current pope — what were your first thoughts when you learned about the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV?
Father Jalbert:
I think it came quite quickly after the fourth vote on that Thursday afternoon. I was with a priest friend, and we had the television on, watching live coverage, just like so many people were — all eyes on the chimney and the seagull family that hung out by the chimney, just waiting for the smoke. And all of a sudden the smoke started, and it was white smoke, and we had a pope.
Then the cardinal announced his name in Latin. When I heard that name, Prevost, I wasn't exactly sure who it was, except for the friend I was with who said, “Oh my. That's Cardinal Prevost from the United States.” You wait to hear the name and he took the name Leo, the fourteenth. What is that going to mean?
Then he comes out onto the balcony and says his first few words, hearing him speak in Italian for that first greeting, and it kind of made me feel a little better, because it's just hard to think about an American pope as a typical American speaking English. I spent most of the day learning more about him as more news came out about who he was in interviews — people that know him, from priests to his own siblings, which was another interesting thing to hear from the relatives of the new pope, which we haven't really had that before.
Melanie Plenda:
Did you ever think you would see an American pope? And what do you think the impact of his papacy will be in the United States?
Father Jalbert:
I think, first, like so many other people, I never thought there would be a pope who was born here in the United States, or a pope from the United States. So that idea was something that I think most of us just sort of put in the back of our minds. I'm not even sure if many people hoped it would happen, but it has happened.
They say that out of all the American-born cardinals he's probably the most un-American, in the sense that he was born here, grew up here, and had his formative years here in the United States, but then served outside of the United States for so many years as the head of the Augustinian order, then as a bishop in Peru, then as a archbishop and cardinal working in Rome. So he's had a great experience, and it's not like he was just plucked from here to become pope.
As far as the impact in the United States — I think he will, and I think he already has had an impact. They say the number of searches online about the Catholic Church in the United States has skyrocketed. People are interested. The more that we get to know him, I think the more people are getting to love him, and if they love him and they see that he's a genuine, authentic man who has been elected to lead the church, people might be interested in learning more about the church and about how to become Catholic. We'll have to wait and see. But I think he’s really making a great impression already in the short amount of time that he has been the pope.
Melanie Plenda:
How have local Catholics reacted to the news of a new pope?
Father Jalbert:
From what I've heard in my own parish, people are excited. They're happy. It's very unusual to have a pope who can speak perfect English. So to hear him speak English is a little strange at first, but then to be able to hear the pope speak our own language very clearly feels like we should be proud. He's from here, he's one of us, just like the Polish people were so proud when Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope John Paul II, and they still are so proud.
Melanie Plenda:
As you mentioned, Pope Leo XIV comes from the Augustinian order. Can you explain what that means?
Father Jalbert:
It's an order that follows a rule that comes out of the teachings of St. Augustine. St. Augustine is an early saint. His mother prayed for his conversion for many years, and he became Christian, then became a priest and a bishop and wrote extensively, and his writings are very well known, especially the confessions. There’s an order that’s based on St. Augustine. They're best known for being teachers and educators in high schools and colleges — Villanova being one of them, and closer to us is Merrimack College.
Melanie Plenda:
Can you touch a little bit more on what you think his priorities will be?
Father Jalbert:
I don’t think the secular media wouldn’t fully understand his role and what his mission is as the pope. It's not to be political, but it is to be Christ here the world, the visible presence of Christ. He’s looking out for the people, from the unborn to the elderly and everyone in between. That’s not being political — that’s just being Catholic, being Christian, what we believe the human person to be.
He's already had quite a few opportunities to give homilies and give talks, and he really is focused on unity. He wants to be a bridge-builder, and that's also one of the roles of the pope. “Pontifex Maximus: is the great bridge, and so popes have been given that title. So unity, communion and just the love of Christ and the peace that Christ has come to offer — made that known right from the beginning as he offered Christ's peace to the people on the day of his election, as he came out for the first time as Pope Leo XIV.
Melanie Plenda:
That was so interesting. The Very Rev. Jason Jalbert, thank you for joining us today.
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