How some London Catholics are feeling about the future of the church under Pope Leo XIV

Matthew Trevithick · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 6:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Only days into his papacy, London's Catholic faithful are expressing anticipation and cautious optimism astir the aboriginal of the Roman Catholic Church nether Pope Leo XIV.

The newly-elected pope was chosen by the world's Catholic cardinals connected Thursday to service arsenic person of the 1.4-billion-member church, succeeding Pope Francis, who died connected April 21.

Formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, the 69-year-old is the archetypal American-born pontiff, hailing from Chicago, but spending overmuch of his vocation successful Peru, including bishop of the diocese successful Chiclayo.

Outside St. Peter's Basilica successful downtown London earlier and aft Sunday mass, congregants were of mixed sentiment erstwhile asked however they hoped Leo would pb the church.

Some told CBC News they hoped the caller pope would proceed successful the vein of his transformational predecessor, portion others wanted to spot a much accepted attack from the Holy See.

"I deliberation Pope Leo was a precise bully choice, contempt the information helium was American. I don't deliberation that's wherefore helium was chosen, helium has an fantabulous background," said Peter Williamson arsenic helium near the cathedral with his wife. 

The mates were successful Florence connected Thursday erstwhile Leo was elected, and were capable to instrumentality portion successful the celebrations. "The joyousness was amazing, each the bells were deafening," helium said.

"He is progressive, but not excessively progressive … I anticipation helium moves it forward, but not excessively acold forward. I deliberation galore churches person fallen by the wayside erstwhile they determination excessively quickly, but the pope evidently has the close happening successful his heart."

Leo's predecessor, Francis, was seen arsenic being a much progressive pontiff, and implicit his 12-year tenure was little acrophobic astir enforcing religion doctrine, and much funny successful making the religion much accommodating to those who felt excluded.

"I deliberation he'll beryllium a worthy successor to Pope Francis," said Dennis Desrivieres, arriving to the basilica with his wife. "We some similar the gospel of societal justice, and he's there. He's acrophobic astir the mediocre and the homeless. He's a quality being. He's a precise bully person."

Watching arsenic her young kid played successful the grass, Grace Gitau told CBC News that she believed Leo would deliver, and that helium was "God chosen." It besides doesn't substance that he's American, she says, and the religion faithful should respect, commune for and spot successful him.

"He's a young pope, a batch of vigor ... he's precise energetic, and he'll beryllium capable to interact, particularly with young radical and young generation," Gitau said. "I consciousness similar it has fixed (the) young procreation anticipation of having a younger pope seated there."

For Ed Roche, the papacy of Leo's predecessor was "a spot of a disaster," and expressed interest Leo would proceed connected the aforesaid arsenic Francis, suggesting the erstwhile pontiff didn't stress the church's absorption to termination and artificial commencement power enough.

"He's much of the same, that's what it looks like. I mean, that's a precise unkind happening for maine to say, oregon possibly helium would instrumentality it arsenic a compliment, I'm not sure," Roche said.

Another churchgoer, Ian Weir, was cautiously optimistic the caller pope would beryllium much accepted than Francis, noting Leo donned a accepted benignant Thursday — the ceremonial reddish cape of the papacy.

"Francis, helium benignant of changed a batch of things to support up with the culture, but I deliberation that's not needfully the relation of the church," Weir said. 

"If the religion changed itself to accommodate secular civilization successful the archetypal place, it would person conscionable fizzled retired successful a generation. The full constituent is it's expected to basal apart."

In summation to mounting a much reformist tone, Francis was besides known for speaking off-the-cuff and deviating from prepared speeches, sometimes to the chagrin of conservatives and traditionalists wrong the church.

"It's going to beryllium a clip to perceive to the Holy Spirit, to explicit that successful clarity and successful ways that that each of america tin understand. It's truthful casual for radical to instrumentality an mentation and tally with it," said Jim Ross arsenic helium and his wife, Mary Anne, near the service.

"Someone who speaks for the church, idiosyncratic who speaks for God, has to beryllium very, precise cautious astir however they accidental things, and I anticipation that our caller pope does."

He added the mates were cautiously optimistic Leo would beryllium a "real unit for unity" wrong the church, and made enactment of the sanction helium had chosen — Leo. The past Pope Leo, Leo XIII, advocated for the rights of workers, just moving conditions, and just wage during his papacy.

"I'm precise hopeful," Mary Anne said. "I'm truly hoping that the Holy Spirit volition enactment powerfully successful him to bring much radical to Jesus and bring unity to our church, due to the fact that determination has been immoderate part successful the past mates of years."

More than 7,000 kilometres distant from the loggia of a antithetic St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo held his archetypal Sunday noon blessing, addressing an estimated 100,000 radical and delivering a connection of bid successful Ukraine and calling for a ceasefire successful Gaza.

A time earlier, during his archetypal ceremonial assemblage astatine the Vatican with the cardinals who elected him, Leo vowed to proceed immoderate of the halfway priorities of Pope Francis.

He repeatedly cited Francis's 2013 ngo statement, making wide a committedness to making the religion much inclusive, attentive to the faithful and acrophobic with the "least and rejected."