AS THE Church transitions to new leadership, the head of the Filipino Dominicans believes Pope Leo XIV will continue the legacy of the late Pope Francis while bringing his own missionary charism to the papacy.
In the days after Leo was elected pontiff, observers have been quick to draw comparisons between him and his predecessor Francis—pointing to Leo’s commitment to the marginalized while painting him as more centrist than Francis.
For Fr. Filemon dela Cruz, O.P., prior provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, continuity is a must, but every pope will eventually have to shepherd the Church in his own way but attuned to the times.
“He (Pope Leo XIV) is his own person. Every papacy is a continuation and a break. A break in the sense that you bring your own gift, your own charisma,” dela Cruz said in an interview with the Varsitarian.
“We pray that he will respond to the needs of the Church and the world today. There are already some hints. He will be aggressive in terms of social concerns because he’s coming from the missions. But there are also things he will learn along the way.”
Drawing from his own experiences as an administrator, dela Cruz said Pope Leo XIV would “grow in his office.”
“You start with a kind of continuity. You don’t start with a big break because that’s difficult to manage. At first, he will be like Pope Francis, but along the way, he will learn to do things his way. That is what is needed, to be your person, that is your own gift to the Church,” he added.
Dela Cruz believes that Leo’s background as a canon lawyer and missionary experience in Peru will influence the way he governs the Church.
“Canon lawyers, when they think, they want things to be clear. Otherwise, they cannot make a ruling. So, here comes a new pope who is a canon lawyer. Maybe he would be more careful or clear about his pronouncements,” he said.
“He is also a missionary. He’s in the field. So, he knows what’s happening on the ground. You know he has a heart…I think, precisely, [he] was selected because of what [he] has.”
The new pontiff completed his doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, a top Dominican higher education institution.
While born and raised in North America, Leo spent many years as a missionary, teacher, and parish priest in Peru in Latin America, eventually serving as archbishop of Chiclayo in the northwestern part of Peru.
Dela Cruz, who is now serving his second term as head of Filipino Dominicans, looks forward to seeing how the Pope’s Augustinian spirituality will help him in overseeing the 1.4 billion faithful entrusted to his care.
He also referred to how Dominicans are historically linked with Augustinians due to the Rule of St. Dominic being derived from that of St. Augustine.
“Being an Augustinian, the way he understands spiritual life is a resource where he could draw things. So I feel a certain closeness to him as a Dominican,” he said.
“Augustinians are for people who want to live together in the community. There are many items in the (Rule of St. Augustine) that relate to that. So, I think it’s a good resource for him to build the Church, to build the community.”
Pope Leo XIV is the first pope from the Order of St. Augustine, where he served as prior general from 2001 to 2013.
He officially began his Petrine ministry on May 18.
