Pope Leo XIV’s Pontificate: More Continuity Than Change. Interview with Thomas Massaro

Thomas Massaro, S.J. comments in detail on recently elected Pope Leo XIV—his personality, American background, and relations with his predecessor, Pope Francis. Massaro explains major internal and external challenges that Pope Leo will face during his pontificate and posits the expansion of the famous Vatican bon mot “John Paul II listened, Benedict taught, Francis touched the heart” to include the new Pope.

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Pope Francis and His Legacy in Theology, Canon Law, Interreligious Dialogue, and Religious Leadership

Pope Francis greets believers in Vatican City / Shutterstock

The series brings together a group of Catholic thinkers to reflect on Pope Francis’s pontificate and legacy. The authors discuss the late Pope’s contribution to peacebuilding, human dignity, social justice, and environmentalism in addition to his reforms, often revolutionary, of Catholic theology, canon law, and the Church’s internal life. Pointing to peaks and valleys of the first Jesuit pope’s rule, they depict him as an extraordinary religious leader, tireless promoter of peace across the globe, and persistent defender of the vulnerable.

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Pope Francis and Gender Issues: An Ambivalent Legacy

Martina Bär is professor of fundamental theology at the University of Graz (Austria).

Pope Francis, who passed away on 21 April 2025, made notable strides in addressing women and discrimination within the Catholic Church, though his efforts were often characterized by a balance between progressive appointments and adherence to traditional doctrine.

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