I happened to be in Rome on a Sunday many years ago. It was during the reign of Pope John Paul II as head of the Catholic Church. Rather fortuitously, at noon that day, I found myself in St. Peter’s Square, standing with the thousands of people who were gathered there to receive the traditional Sunday blessing of the Holy Father. Looking at the throng from the window of his apartment overlooking the square, the pontiff spoke for several minutes, prayed, and then delivered his benediction.

Most likely, the crowd had a large number of non-Catholics like me in it. The Holy Father spoke and prayed in languages that many of us couldn’t understand. But at the end of it all, there was a palpable sense in the air that every single person there had been deeply touched by his presence.

Those of us who are old enough to have witnessed the papacy of John Paul II will remember the positive force that he represented in the world during his 26-year pontificate. His moral clarity, in particular, was highly instrumental in the fight against communism. Millions of people in the Soviet Union, his native Poland, and all across Eastern Europe, had been trapped under that tyrannical form of rule for decades and were yearning for freedom. He focused a lot of his attention and energy on helping to dismantle the system that had robbed so many people of their dignity.

Our world today finds itself in another moment that urgently requires the kind of voice that Pope John Paul II lent to the primary global issue of his day. The many crises that humanity is currently facing all around the globe are worsening rapidly and ominously because there is no one at the rudder. What is needed is strong, quiet, and steady leadership. Instead, what we have in many places are leaders who are full of bombast and appear more likely to sink the ship than steer it safely ashore.

I wasn’t in St. Peter’s Square when Pope Leo XIV made his first appearance at the famous balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica shortly after his election ten days ago. But watching him on television, I had a feeling that was quite similar to the one I experienced in the physical presence of Pope John Paul II years ago. Everything about Pope Leo’s body language, from his facial expressions to the way he had his hands clasped in front of him, exuded both humility and quiet strength. It was also clear from the reception of the thousands who had gathered to greet him that the new pontiff had made a deep and instant connection with them. His type of calming presence is what our world desperately needs today.

In the days since his election, I have read a lot about Pope Leo XIV. Everything I have learned thus far validates my initial reading of him. He is known to be a deeply empathetic and humble man who speaks his mind clearly. In an interview with a journalist, the pontiff’s older brother, John Prevost, described him as “middle of the road” and predicted: “I don’t think we’ll see extremes either way.” He expressed confidence that his brother will use his new platform to shine the spotlight on issues that are important to him. He added: “I don’t think he’ll stay quiet for too long if he has something to say.”

One thing that has greatly impressed me about Pope Leo XIV is the account of his initial encounters with the late Pope Francis. The two men are said to have met before Pope Francis assumed the papacy. He was then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires. At the time, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was an Augustinian priest. He visited Cardinal Bergoglio many times in Argentina, and according to reports, their views differed on many issues. When Pope Francis was elected to head the church in 2013, Prevost reportedly confided in some of his fellow Augustinians that he would never become a bishop. He assumed that given his past disagreements with the now Pope Francis, it was unlikely that he would elevate him to the position of bishop. He was mistaken. In 2014, Pope Francis made him a bishop and asked him to return to Peru, where he had previously served.

As time went on, Pope Francis is said to have recognized Prevost’s potential even more and decided to put him on a fast track. In 2023, he brought him back to Rome and appointed him as the head of the office for the bishops, a high-profile position inside the Vatican. Soon thereafter, he made him a cardinal.

In a world increasingly filled with spineless leaders, it is quite satisfying to have as head of the Catholic Church now, a man who is known to have moral courage. Prevost’s elevation to positions of increasing authority in the church by a much senior person in the clergy, despite his numerous previous disagreements with him, should be a lesson for us all. Sycophancy may work at times in advancing people’s careers, but it must surely feel a whole lot better to get to the top the way Pope Leo XIV has done it.

Clearly, Cardinal Bergoglio, later Pope Francis, greatly appreciated Prevost’s candor. The now Pope Leo XIV is said to have earned the respect of everyone he met along his lengthy journey to the papacy. That must have factored heavily during the conclave. It beautifully demonstrates that honesty and moral courage are qualities that are still highly valued, even in our current cynical world.

I am constantly saddened by the fact that so many of us have adopted a mindset of resignation. We seem to have concluded that the major problems we see all around us are insoluble, and the best we can do is either look away or hope that we will personally escape their ravages. This defeatist attitude is quite unfortunate. Because most of the problems have been caused by humans, they can be addressed if enough people put their shoulders to the wheel. In reference to the wars, political polarization, economic inequality and the myriad problems confronting the world today, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II of the Yale Divinity School put it best when he said: “We’re in a moment when the moral forces of the world and religious forces of the world have a deep responsibility to say it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Pope Leo XIV is both a religious and a moral force. I pray that his leadership will inspire not only the flock he has been elected to shepherd, but also our political leaders and the rest of us who are not members of the Catholic Church. And may the Lord grant him even greater wisdom and strength because he has a lot of new weight on his shoulders.