There’s a lengthy checklist of calls for within the new pope’s in-tray, starting from the place of ladies within the church to the continuing struggle towards sexual abuse and restoring papal funds.
Individuals each contained in the Catholic Church and around the globe will likely be watching how the brand new pontiff offers with them.
US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the brand new pope on Thursday after simply two days of conclave.
The 69-year-old, who turns into the primary American pope, will take the identify Leo XIV.
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‘Evil will not prevail, we are all in the hands of God’, the brand new American Pope instructed the gang.
New pope elected – comply with stay protection
Sexual abuse
Many Catholic insiders credit score Pope Francis with going additional than any of his predecessors to handle sexual abuse.
He gathered bishops collectively for a convention on the problem in 2019 and that led to a change that enables cooperating with civil courts if wanted throughout abuse circumstances.
However it did not go so far as forcing the disclosure of all info gathered in relation to baby abuse.
Any abuse allegations should now be referred to church leaders, however reformers stopped in need of decreeing that such circumstances must also be robotically referred to the police.
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Clerical abuse sufferer says church nonetheless has ‘a lot to do’
Whereas many abuse victims agree they noticed progress beneath Pope Francis, who spent plenty of time listening to their accounts, they are saying reforms did not go far sufficient.
The following pope will likely be beneath stress to take sturdy motion on the problem.
Girls
Pope Francis additionally did extra to advertise girls within the Vatican than every other pontiff.
Two years in the past, he allowed girls to vote in a major assembly of bishops.
Whereas he was clear he wished girls to have extra alternatives, he resisted the concept they wanted to be a part of the church hierarchy and did not change the foundations on girls being ordained.
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A girl kneels at St. Peter’s Sq., on the primary day of the conclave to elect the brand new pope, on the Vatican, Might 7, 2025. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez
His successor might want to determine in the event that they push this agenda ahead or rein it again in.
It is a urgent concern as girls do an enormous quantity of the work in colleges and hospitals, however many are annoyed about being handled as second-class residents. 10,000 nuns a yr have left within the decade from 2012 to 2022, in response to Vatican figures.
Inclusion
“Who am I to judge?” Pope Francis famously mentioned when requested a couple of homosexual monsignor in 2013.
His supporters say he sought to make the church extra open, together with permitting blessings for similar intercourse {couples} however whereas critics argue he did not go far sufficient, some conservatives had been outraged.
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A homosexual couple kiss at a Catholic protest towards the legalisation of homosexual marriage in Mexico. File pic: Reuters
African bishops collectively rejected blessings for similar intercourse {couples}, saying “it would cause confusion and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities”.
How welcome LGBTQ+ folks really feel within the church will rely partly on choices made by the pontiff.
Conversely, the Pope should additionally carry collectively disparate teams throughout the Catholic religion.
Many are demanding a pacesetter who can unite the assorted factions and convey stability in an more and more unstable world.
The worldwide south
Whereas the Catholic church is shedding members in its conventional base of Europe, it is rising quickly within the international south.
The realm has develop into the brand new centre of gravity for Catholicism with enormous followings in nations like Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines.
Pope Francis tried to broaden illustration by appointing extra cardinals from totally different areas of the world, and the brand new Pope will likely be anticipated to proceed this.
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Behind the scenes on the conclave
Finance
The Vatican is dealing with a severe monetary disaster.
The finances deficit has tripled since Pope Francis’s election and the pension fund has a shortfall of as much as €2bn (£1.7bn).
These cash worries, which had been compounded by COVID-19 and long-standing bureaucratic challenges, characterize a significant concern for the subsequent pope.
Conversely, the Pope should additionally carry collectively disparate teams throughout the Catholic religion.
Many are demanding a pacesetter who can unite the assorted factions and convey stability in an more and more unstable world.
