A Prayer for the New Pope

When the election of Pope Leo XIV was announced a week ago, I hung a banner outside our home to celebrate with the rest of the Christian world. The unexpected appointment of an American pontiff from Chicago resonated personally. We raised our family in the Windy City.

When the white smoke appeared atop the Sistine Chapel, the world had no idea
the new leader of the Catholic church (robed in white) was a White Sox fan. Curiously, the mother of this future pontiff had cheered for the Cubs. His dad (most appropriately) followed the Cardinals. Neither had a clue they were raising one who would become one. But a neighbor did.

When little Bobby Prevost from Dalton, Illinois was six years old, the lady next door said to his parents, “That kid is going to be pope some day!” And time proved her right! My prayer is that time will prove Pope Leo XIV truly is God’s choice to lead a renewal within the Roman church.

Looking back on my seventy-three years of living, I have seen a major shift in my personal perspective toward the Roman Catholic Church. I grew up in a fundamentalist subculture that was quick to question whether my Catholic classmates and neighbors were really Christians in the way I defined the term.

Praying to saints and practicing of penance was foreign to me. So were the concepts of indulgences and purgatory. Whereas my belief structure celebrated salvation “by grace through faith,” my Catholic friends seemed to focus on earning God’s favor. Our doctrinal focus appeared at odds. Gratefully, my limited understanding began to grow as I started to see evidence of God’s grace in the lives of those who saw the mysteries of faith differently than I.

One of the means God used to guide my changing perspective as a youngster was an interfaith program on a local Seattle TV station that featured a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi and a Protestant minister. Father William Treacy, Rabbi Raphael Levine and Dr. Robert Fine dialogued about where Judaism and Christianity overlapped and differed. The respect and honor they afforded each other was noteworthy. At the time I had not idea that Rabbi Levine’s sister would become a treasured friend and confidant.

Another means the Almighty utilized to undermine my misconceptions of the Catholic wing of the Church was Bishop Fulton Sheen. As a teenager I would watch this effervescent cleric on television with great interest. I sensed his joy and integrity.

In time I realized that some of my preconceived notions of what Catholics believe were naïve and uninformed. As a chaplain serving a faith-based retirement community for a decade, I had the privilege of shepherding an ecumenical flock. That experience broadened my horizons and expanded my understanding of God’s grace. I came to see that the mystery of God’s grace is beyond my ability to categorize in tight theological boxes.

As I watched the events unfolding from the Vatican with the rest of the world, I opened my laptop and composed a prayer for the pope. I invite you to pray it with me.  

Heavenly Father, fill the Holy Father with an abundance of Your truth and mercy
as well as Your humility and love. May this one who grew up in the Windy City, find the winds of the Holy Spirit blowing through St. Peter’s Basilica (and beyond) with gale-force strength. Give Leo the ferocious heart of a lion that will beat strongly and consistently for justice and righteousness. Help him to hear Your still small voice as he verbalizes hope to the least and the lost.

May this one who advocates for the marginalized and misunderstood hold the powerful accountable for their misdeeds. Hold him close to Your heart that he might daily hear
the pulsating evidence of Your grace. Remind this one who carries Peter’s staff of that ancient call to feed Your sheep. Remind him of Your timeless call to do justly, and love mercy and to walk humbly with You. Remind him of the essence of the Gospel that is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. In His name alone I pray. Amen.

In addition to each week’s post on this website, Greg Asimakoupoulos offers daily video devotionals on his YouTube channel. Here is a sample video. If you are interested in receiving these devotionals Monday through Friday, you can subscribe on Greg’s channel.