How some London Catholics are feeling about the future of the church under Pope Leo XIV
Some hope for continued social justice push, while others seek traditional approach
Only days into his papacy, London's Catholic faithful are expressing hope and cautious optimism about the future of the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Leo XIV.
The newly-elected pope was chosen by the world's Catholic cardinals on Thursday to serve as leader of the 1.4-billion-member church, succeeding Pope Francis, who died on April 21.
Formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, the 69-year-old is the first American-born pontiff, hailing from Chicago, but spending much of his career in Peru, including bishop of the diocese in Chiclayo.
Outside St. Peter's Basilica in downtown London before and after Sunday mass, congregants were of mixed opinion when asked how they hoped Leo would lead the church.
Some told CBC News they hoped the new pope would continue in the vein of his transformational predecessor, while others wanted to see a more traditional approach from the Holy See.
"I think Pope Leo was a very good choice, despite the fact he was American. I don't think that's why he was chosen, he has an excellent background," said Peter Williamson as he left the cathedral with his wife.
The couple were in Florence on Thursday when Leo was elected, and were able to take part in the celebrations. "The joy was amazing, all the bells were deafening," he said.
"He is progressive, but not too progressive … I hope he moves it forward, but not too far forward. I think many churches have fallen by the wayside when they move too quickly, but the pope obviously has the right thing in his heart."
Leo's predecessor, Francis, was seen as being a more progressive pontiff, and over his 12-year tenure was less concerned about enforcing church doctrine, and more interested in making the church more accommodating to those who felt excluded.
"I think he'll be a worthy successor to Pope Francis," said Dennis Desrivieres, arriving to the basilica with his wife. "We both like the gospel of social justice, and he's there. He's concerned about the poor and the homeless. He's a human being. He's a very nice person."
Watching as her young child played in the grass, Grace Gitau told CBC News that she believed Leo would deliver, and that he was "God chosen." It also doesn't matter that he's American, she says, and the church faithful should respect, pray for and trust in him.
"He's a young pope, a lot of energy ... he's very energetic, and he'll be able to interact, especially with young people and young generation," Gitau said. "I feel like it has given (the) young generation hope of having a younger pope seated there."
For Ed Roche, the papacy of Leo's predecessor was "a bit of a disaster," and expressed concern Leo would continue on the same as Francis, suggesting the former pontiff didn't emphasize the church's opposition to abortion and artificial birth control enough.
"He's more of the same, that's what it looks like. I mean, that's a very unkind thing for me to say, or maybe he would take it as a compliment, I'm not sure," Roche said.
Another churchgoer, Ian Weir, was cautiously optimistic the new pope would be more traditional than Francis, noting Leo donned a traditional style Thursday — the formal red cape of the papacy.
"Francis, he kind of changed a lot of things to keep up with the culture, but I think that's not necessarily the role of the church," Weir said.
"If the church changed itself to accommodate secular culture in the first place, it would have just fizzled out in a generation. The whole point is it's supposed to stand apart."
In addition to setting a more reformist tone, Francis was also known for speaking off-the-cuff and deviating from prepared speeches, sometimes to the chagrin of conservatives and traditionalists within the church.
"It's going to be a time to listen to the Holy Spirit, to express that in clarity and in ways that that all of us can understand. It's so easy for people to take an interpretation and run with it," said Jim Ross as he and his wife, Mary Anne, left the service.
"Someone who speaks for the church, someone who speaks for God, has to be very, very careful about how they say things, and I hope that our new pope does."
He added the couple were cautiously optimistic Leo would be a "real force for unity" within the church, and made note of the name he had chosen — Leo. The last Pope Leo, Leo XIII, advocated for the rights of workers, fair working conditions, and fair pay during his papacy.
"I'm very hopeful," Mary Anne said. "I'm really hoping that the Holy Spirit will work powerfully in him to bring more people to Jesus and bring unity to our church, because there has been some division in the last couple of years."
More than 7,000 kilometres away from the loggia of a different St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo held his first Sunday noon blessing, addressing an estimated 100,000 people and delivering a message of peace in Ukraine and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
A day earlier, during his first formal audience at the Vatican with the cardinals who elected him, Leo vowed to continue some of the core priorities of Pope Francis.
He repeatedly cited Francis's 2013 mission statement, making clear a commitment to making the church more inclusive, attentive to the faithful and concerned with the "least and rejected."
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With files from CBC News, The Associated Press and Thomson Reuters