As Pope Leo XIV begins his pontificate, Father Dave welcomes back Dr. Matthew Bunson to discuss his new biography, “Leo XIV: Portrait of the First American Pope.” Dr. Bunson is Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News.
They begin by discussing their surprise that an American was elected pope, and how Dr. Bunson saw Google Trends rise for basic questions about Catholicism. “This is an opportunity to evangelize and to introduce a lot of people to Catholicism who otherwise had either no interest or opportunity to have that encounter,” he says.
“I was hearing from people [who said] I haven’t been back to the church in years,” Dr. Bunson continues. “This is transformational for a lot of people, and it gave them encouragement to come back to the faith. We need to start exploring what it is that God is calling them to do in their lives.”
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Dr. Bunson wrote biographies immediately following the elections of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, and he details his goal for this new book on Pope Leo XIV. “The word ‘portrait’ was very deliberate. We wanted to offer to readers a snapshot or portrait into his life, his influences, and especially what shaped him,” Dr. Bunson says, “Then, based on the things that he said, where we think he may be headed. I have to say that he has been so clear, so dynamic, and in many ways, so specific about his concerns coming in.”
They discuss Pope Leo XIV’s background as an Augustinian priest, and elements of his coat of arms. Dr. Bunson says, “In the bottom right, there is a traditional symbol of the Augustinian order itself, which is a heart aflame, pierced by an arrow; the great piercing of love. It’s resting on the book of the Gospel, so it’s the idea of the heart and the mind.”
“As he said on the very day of his election, he is the son of Augustine, and you can see that right within the coat of arms,” he says. “Even in his motto that he took as Pope — In Illo uno unum — which is from Augustine’s commentary on Psalm 127 [meaning], In Christ, we are one. So I think he’s taken that theme of unity in Christ and made it one of the hallmarks of his pontificate.”
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Father Dave adds, “It does seem like he’s been intentional about really kind of trying to connect with people that might identify themselves with different parts of the Church. He’s identifying with Pope Benedict, John Paul II, and Francis all at the same time, and seemingly trying to draw dots of continuity.” Dr. Bunson agrees and responds, “I use the term in the book that he is an integrator. He is integrating so many of the elements of previous pontificates, the most recent ones especially.”
“He’s quoted Paul VI, going to the Second Vatican Council. Then he has sprinkled his homilies and speeches, not just with Augustine, but he is very deep into Patristics, or the Fathers of the Church. He’s had some breathtakingly and delightfully obscure references,” Dr. Bunson continues. “He’s trying to pull all of this together, but he’s also building bridges. I think you said something really important, and that is the pulling [together of] these experiences of the universal church. He grew up in Chicago, but ended up serving for decades in Peru as head of the Augustinians. He traveled to multiple countries having those experiences, and then he goes to Rome.”
“He does see himself as a builder of bridges, both to the world, but also within the church,” Dr. Bunson says. “I think a lot of us could see that there are, in some corners of the church, serious divisions. He’s anchored all of it in that phrase: In Christ, we are one.”
