It’s very Dominican: Pope Leo XIV address cardinals on priorities May 10, 2025

When Dominicans elect the Master of the Order or a Provincial, the priorities are set out in the Acts, the official statement of what each chapter does. This provides the roadmap for leadership. It’s very Dominican.

It’s very Dominican

It has been said that the Dominican order is the most democratic order in the Church. While I suspect this statement could be debated, the reality is that long before the United States talked about checks and balances, Saint Dominic set for a governance structure that contained many.

There are two elections in particular that can help us to see what this means. The worldwide leader of the Dominican order is known as the Master of the Order. When he is elected, the chapter that elects him sets forth what the discussions of the friars who are members of the chapter (elected by the friars) in what is called the Acts of the Chapter.

The same is true when friars elect a provincial. What is interesting in both elections, is that much of what the leader does, is not determined by the one elected, but by the chapter that elected him. And when a provincial is elected, the council that advises him is a group of friars he does not choose. The chapter does.

Perhaps because he is an Augustinian friar (Augustinians are close cousins of the Dominicans) Pope Leo XIV provided some feedback he heard from the Cardinals. He summarized the input of the General Congregations of the Cardinals that occurred before the conclave.

And what were they? His address to the cardinals today outlines what he heard, and serves as a roadmap of his priorities. Below is a brief list, and some commentary on each priority.

The return to the primacy of Christ in proclamation

For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:23)

When Archbishop Fulton Sheen comments on these verses in his retreat to priests call Cor Ad Cor Loquitor, he suggests that in the preceding verses Saint Paul lost his way. In trying to debate the Athenians using philosophy alone, he forgot the central and core part of the preaching. We preach Christ.

A priest I follow on Facebook, a diehard Trumper and no fan of Pope Francis, immediately posted that this pope did not like President Trump. This did not make me angry, but sad. Since when did the gospel depend on Donald Trump? Or JD Vance? How is it this priest lost his way?

I have seen the same reflected in early criticisms of Pope Leo XIV from those who are diehard supporters of Trump. Undoubtedly there are Catholics in this group. Since when did Donald Trump replace Jesus? Or the pope?

I think for too many Catholics in the United States it is the case that Donald Trump is the pope. Rather than seeing the offensive post from Trump and the White House of an AI generated image of Trump as the pope, I fear for a certain segment of the Catholic Church in the United States Trump is the pope.

This error comes largely from a segment of the United States Catholic Church that forgets the primary role of preaching. As priests, we, like Saint Paul are called to preach Christ and Christ crucified. We are not to preach any one political leader, political candidate. We are to preach Christ Crucified.

I think this was important for the cardinals too, and I think it led to the election of Pope Leo XIV. The deep and angry division that exists in the United States, and around the world, is not of the Holy Spirit. Our conversations represent not dialogue, but rather monologue trying to prove over and over again that we are right.

What does the world need to hear from the Church? That Jesus Christ is Lord. That Jesus Christ was crucified out of love for us. That Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. And that Jesus Christ loves each of us. Jesus Christ wants to heal our brokenness.

I was a member of the Chapter that elected our current provincial. I refer to that time as one of the best Dominican experiences I have had. Why? Because at the core of Dominican life is the voice of each friar. Like any group of Catholics, we are not of one mind. We have deep differences. But we discussed honestly and respectfully. My sense is that returning to the priory of Christ as the center of our preaching is what Pope Leo XIV and the cardinals are seeking.

The missionary conversion of the entire Christian community

Saint Pope John Paul II called for a New Evangelization. The importance of his insight has been repeated by his successors. And I think there is a profound recognition that this call for a New Evangelization is needed as much now (maybe even more) than it was when Pope John Paul II first articulated it.

First and foremost, each disciple of Jesus must acknowledge and constantly admit our need for conversion. Jesus begins with this. Repent! Convert! Change! These are the first words of the preaching of Jesus. And this must stand as the clarion call for each one of us. We need Jesus! We need to convert! We need to become more like him!

Growth in collegiality and synodality

While not yet fully understood, this is, I think, also a call to be more like Jesus. How? If we look at the encounters of Jesus, the most significant were not with the Pharisees, Sadducees or scribes, but they were encounters with the broken.

The woman at the well. The woman caught in the act of adultery. The leper who came back to thank Jesus for his healing. The dining with Zacchaeus. The encounters of healing with Mary Magdalene.

The primary question I think is, “How can we preach the gospel to a broken world if we do not seek to hear their brokenness?” It seems quite clear to me that the college of cardinals, more representative of the world now more than ever, understands this. And it understands that obedience comes from the root word (in Latin) to listen. We need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Attention to the sensus fidei

Closely related to hearing the brokenness of the Christian faithful, that is all of us, is the need to be attentive to the sense of the faithful, or the sensus fidei. The International Theological Commission wrote the quotes below:

“By the gift of the Holy Spirit, ‘the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father’ and bears witness to the Son (Jn 15:26), all of the baptised participate in the prophetic office of Jesus Christ, ‘the faithful and true witness’ (Rev 3:14). They are to bear witness to the Gospel and to the apostolic faith in the Church and in the world. The Holy Spirit anoints them and equips them for that high calling, conferring on them a very personal and intimate knowledge of the faith of the Church.” (SENSUS FIDEI IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH, 1.)

“As a result, the faithful have an instinct for the truth of the Gospel, which enables them to recognize and endorse authentic Christian doctrine and practice, and to reject what is false. That supernatural instinct, intrinsically linked to the gift of faith received in the communion of the Church, is called the sensus fidei, and it enables Christians to fulfill their prophetic calling.” (SENSUS FIDEI IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH, 2.)

What exactly is the sensus fidei and how can it be identified? What are the biblical sources for this idea and how does the sensus fidei function in the tradition of the faith? How does the sensus fidei relate to the ecclesiastical magisterium of the pope and the bishops, and to theology? (SENSUS FIDEI IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH, 5.)

But the sensus fidei can be (and often is) misunderstood simply as a popularity contest for ideas and opinions. Simply because something is held by the largest number of people does not in itself mean it is the sensus fidei.

As the document on the sensus fidei states, “The magisterium also judges with authority whether opinions which are present among the people of God, and which may seem to be the sensus fidelium, actually correspond to the truth of the Tradition received from the Apostles.” (SENSUS FIDEI IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH, 77.)

So in many ways, the sensus fidei is a process of discernment under the guidance and inspiration of the magisterium. “Thus, judgement regarding the authenticity of the sensus fidelium belongs ultimately not to the faithful themselves nor to theology but to the magisterium. Nevertheless, as already emphasized, the faith which it serves is the faith of the Church, which lives in all of the faithful, so it is always within the communion life of the Church that the magisterium exercises its essential ministry of oversight.” (SENSUS FIDEI IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH, 77.)

One quality of Pope Leo XIV I have heard many times is that he is a good listener. This suggests that in discerning the sensus fidei he will be attentive to listening to the Holy Spirit.

Especially in its most authentic and inclusive forms, such as popular piety

For some Catholics there has been a sense that popular piety is passé. It is to be relegated to the “pre-Vatican II Church.” For others, there is a sense that those who embrace popular piety are being cast aside.

It seems that what the cardinals heard and believed is that there needs to be an acknowledgment that these expressions of faith are both authentic and important to the faithful. While there is a connection between Leo XIII and Leo XIV in terms of Catholic Social Teaching, it cannot be forgotten that Pope Leo XIII also wrote many documents on the rosary.

This is, of course, a great thing for Dominicans, who claim the rosary as their patrimony. But it is an acknowledgment that the popular devotions of the faithful, present for centuries, remain as relevant for today as ever.

Loving care for the least and the rejected

Pope Francis was beloved. Pope Leo has referenced his care for the Church numerous times since being elected pope. And much of this was a renewed focus on the “least of the brothers and sisters” of Christ.

It can be denied or ignored, but it cannot be disputed. Jesus (and much of the Old Testament) define authentic faith as one where Christians see the primacy of the two great commandments. We are to love God and to love our neighbor.

Loving our neighbor is referenced repeatedly by Jesus. How we treat our neighbor, especially neighbors in need is how we treat Christ himself, and it is how we will be judged. The rich are to sell what they have and give to the poor. It is the poor widow who gives everything that is lauded as most generous, and not the rich who simply give from their surplus.

With this as a priority, it seems clear that the cardinals want Catholic Social teaching, displayed so forcefully by Francis to be continued. In choosing the name Leo, it seems the same is true for Pope Leo, who counted Francis as a friend.

Courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities

In referencing Pope Leo XIII, Pope Leo XIV seeks to imitate the great contribution of Pope Leo XIII. Perhaps best known for his encyclical Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII lived in a time where the Church had been on the defensive, and under his predecessor Pope Pius IX, had developed a siege mentality by retreating from the world.

In response to this, Pope Leo XIII wrote about the importance of Christians seeing engagement in the world an active and critical component of discipleship. Pope Leo XIII, in Rerum Novarum, at the start, articulates the need and the reasons for writing.

“As on former occasions when it seemed opportune to refute false teaching, We have addressed you in the interests of the Church and of the common weal, and have issued letters bearing on political power, human liberty, the Christian constitution of the State, and like matters, so have We thought it expedient now to speak on the condition of the working classes.” (Rerum Novarum, 2.)

It is undeniable that we live in a time where economic inequalities are more pronounced. In fact, maybe more pronounced than ever. While Jesus did not stress political change (he did not defeat the Romans) he certainly articulated the connection between discipleship and care for the poor.

Saint James did this too. He scolds the faithful for their unholy distinctions between rich and poor.

“My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? But you dishonored the poor person. Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves not haul you off to court? Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you?” (James 2:1-7)

There are many ways the Church must dialogue with the world. There is economic inequality. It is the violent and open conflicts around the world. There is the increasing threat posed by AI and technology. There is the increasing threat to our planet, even to the point we might destroy it. And perhaps most of all, there is the disregard for the gospel so present in many places.

Rather than shy away from these issues, just as Pope Leo XIII did not shy away from the pressing challenges to the gospel in his day, Pope Leo XIV and the cardinals seem to indicate that day, just as in the past, the Church must be a leading voice for the voiceless.

Conclusion

I mentioned that for Dominicans, the Acts of the Chapter form a kind of to-do list. The wise Dominican provincial does not ignore these acts, but takes from them the priorities of the chapter.

It seems Pope Leo is taking a page from the Dominicans in listening to the college of cardinals and implementing what he heard. This seems to be a positive step for the Church. Long live Pope Leo XIV!

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