SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Pope Leo XIV is in his first full day as the holy father with many more to come.
“We didn’t expect an American to be Pope,” Gregory Treverton, a USC Professor, said.
Treverton is a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California and a former Chairman of the National Intelligence Council in the Second Obama Administration.
“I think, you know, behind the scenes in a quiet way and in a spiritual way it will make a geo-political difference,” Treverton said.
Treverton told ABC 10News there has been a reluctance to elect an American pope because of how powerful the country is geopolitically.
“Part of his appeal, Leo’s appeal, may have been that he could be a counterweight to the trends, the geopolitical trends, we see out there, including those we see in American policy; immigration, foreign assistance.”
The new American Pope is the successor to Pope Francis.
“Leo XIV actually used some of the words and the phrase and the themes that Francis has used recently,” Michael Lovette-Colyer, VP Of Mission Integration at USD
Lovette-Colyer is with the University of San Diego, the local Catholic university.
He tells me Pope Leo will likely be more reserved and less off the cuff compared to Pope Francis when it comes to speaking on issues that tend to form policy.
“He’ll continue the priorities, but it might look a little different,” Lovette-Colyer said. “I think the priority related to the environment will continue to be front and center likewise protecting, advocating for the dignity of migrants and refugees.”
