Early clues hint how Pope Leo may lead Catholic Church. What did experts notice?

Pope Leo XIV greets crowds gathered in the Vatican City on May 8 in his first appearance as the head of the Holy See. Screengrab from Vatican News video

Originally published May 9, 2025 for the Miami Herald

As Pope Leo XIV stepped out in front of cheering crowds outside of St. Peter’s Basilica to give his first speech as head of the Holy See, experts took note of a few subtle clues that may reveal what direction the Catholic Church will go under his leadership.

The historic election of Cardinal Robert Prevost — who took the name Pope Leo XIV after being appointed May 8 following the death of Pope Francis — was a surprise to many who didn’t expect the first American pope in the Church’s history to be chosen by this conclave.

But despite his nationality and the American flags waving across Vatican City upon hearing the news, Pope Leo did not speak in his native language or mention the United States during his first address, according to a Vatican News video. Instead, he spoke in Italian and then switched to Spanish in a brief greeting to his former diocese in Peru.

Some experts told McClatchy News they believed this was an intentional choice meant to demonstrate cosmopolitanism.

“Maybe what he was trying to do was to show he’s not just an American, but he’s the pope for the whole church,” the Rev. Thomas Rausch, who teaches Catholic theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, told McClatchy News.

Cristina Traina, professor at Fordham University who specializes in Catholic ethics, said she also thinks he was trying to speak globally rather than just focusing on the U.S.

While Trainia said she does think it was a deliberate choice to not speak in English in his first address, she also said it could have come down to how quickly everything was moving.

“He needed to make the choice between sticking to one language with a quick greeting to his friends in Peru, or speaking in multiple languages,” she said. “And the hurriedness of trying to get all this together in less than an hour may be one reason he decided, you know what, let’s stick to one language … rather than trying to speak in multiple languages.”

Pope Leo did begin mass in English on May 9 — his first full day as pontiff, a Vatican News video showed.

Another thing experts pointed out was the language he used in that initial speech.

“That first speech was just littered with the sorts of language that Francis used,” Traina said. “He wished peace to everyone, tuti, tuti, right? And he said that several times. That’s something Francis would often say.”

He also referenced the former pope directly twice, further indicating that he will likely continue Francis’ legacy, she said.

In a recent poll, a plurality of U.S. Catholics said they wanted the new pope to continue Francis’ teachings, McClatchy News reported.

The last and potentially most notable indicator of where the new pope may lead the church is in his name, experts said.

“I can’t stress the symbolic importance of his name,” Rausch said, adding that it calls to mind Pope Leo XIII, who’s remembered for his emphasis on social issues.

“(Leo XII’s) 1891 Rerum Novarum was about the importance of paying workers a living wage, a decent wage, and having decent hours, having safe working places, a right to form labor unions or labor associations,” he said. “... So I think that’s clearly going to be a clue to his papacy.”