By Angelo Kurbanali

Catholic theologian

Habemus Papam! Thank God, we have a new pope. It’s a breath of hope to have a Bishop of Rome once again.

We won’t all agree with the Holy Spirit’s choice of pope, but our Cardinals chose Robert Francis Prevost—Pope Leo XIV—because of God’s promptings in their hearts.

Though the Cardinals are free to follow their own agendas, and perhaps in some ways they do, we can trust that Christ will never leave His bride, and the Holy Spirit will always sanctify the Church.

I think it’s important we admit if we feel anxiety or hesitate in embracing our new Supreme Pontiff. We might be concerned about his nationality, his political views, his public relation skills, or his pastoral experience.

We might put him under a microscope and compare him to our last three popes. Our feelings stem from wanting what’s best for the Church—what we believe God wants for the Church—and generally, change always brings a mix of emotions.

Thank God, we have a new pope, but the Pope needs the Church, just as the Church needs the Pope. Regardless of how we feel about his election, Leo XIV is one of 1.4 billion baptised.

The Pope doesn’t determine the strength of our Church on his own. Our Church is only as strong as its most marginalised person. The Body of Christ is only as strong as its weakest part.

So, for us to have a strong Church, we ought to step into our Catholic identity gifted to us through Baptism and live out the reality the Holy Spirit offers to us. When we can do that for ourselves with the help of God, we can then accompany others into living that new reality. It’s a reality I’m sure Leo XIV will live, as did most of his predecessors.

If we truly want what’s best for the Church, we have to remember it starts with us. We all make up the Church. The Holy Spirit depends on us to robustly fulfil our baptismal call for God to continue God’s work.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to be able to follow God’s voice in our own individual ways, each of us contributing to God’s larger plan for Creation. God created us to be God’s co-creators and so we’re empowered with the grace of Pentecost.

We, in the Caribbean especially, ought to know the value of empowerment by the Spirit, given our history. We can channel that same energy into our spiritual lives and make our Church a more perfect Body of Christ.

Whether we feel happiness, anger, excitement, anxiety, or a mix of emotions, we’re all invited to pray for Pope Leo. We can all unite our prayers with his for God’s clarity on the best way forward for our Church.

But while the Pope might be at the front of our synodal Church’s line, he’s not in the line by himself. For us to flourish as a Church we have to participate in the communal effort it takes.

I think it’s encouraging that his first words were a blessing of peace. It feels like the world needs peace now more than it ever needed it before. Of course, the same ecclesial view from throughout this article applies.

Leo XIV can’t bring peace to this volatile world on his own. But if 1.4 billion people made their best efforts towards world peace, I’m sure we could get there. If Christ and a small group of people could grow into almost 2.5 billion people through the power of the Holy Spirit, then I don’t see why we’d look to doubt the fact that God’s Spirit is with us.

That Spirit empowered our Cardinals to choose Pope Leo XIV. Let’s join the Spirit and choose him, too. Let’s choose to join together in prayer for him and our whole Church. Let’s choose to join him in making an active push to minister the Good News to all of Creation. Let’s choose to be One as Christ intends for us to be One.

To choose is an act of faith. Thankfully, our faith is in the hope of our Saviour. God has never failed us yet. Why would it happen now? May the Spirit who guided the Church to Pope Leo XIV now guide us all to unity and mission.