ROME— The newly elected Pope Leo XIV will follow in the footsteps of the late Pope Francis but will not be a “photocopy” or a “clone.”
Giving his own preview of the direction of the new papacy, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David noted that the pontiff’s first statements nearly paralleled the discussions of 12 days of general congregations or meetings ahead of the conclave that eventually produced the first American pope.
Pope Leo XIV “treasures the memory of Pope Francis,” who made him cardinal in 2023 and prefect of the Vatican dicastery in-charge of screening the world’s bishops.
“I can safely say majority of the Cardinals would like to see a continuity of the spirit of the papacy of Pope Francis,” David told reporters in Rome on Friday.
“Without being a clone, without being a photocopy. Every Pope is going to be original,” said David, the bishop of Kalookan and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
David and the two other Filipino electors in the 2025 conclave, Cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle and Jose Advincula held a joint press conference after concelebrating the first Mass of Pope Leo XIV at the Sistine Chapel on Friday.
Like the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Tagle served in Pope Francis’ “cabinet” as pro-prefect at the Dicastery for Evangelization, in-charge of more than a thousand mission territories.
Tagle said “there’s no turning back” on the Church’s outreach for the poor and marginalized.
“Lalo na kasi si Pope Leo na naging missionary and then obispo sa Peru. So siya mismo ay exposed sa mga sitwasyon din ng kahirapan, ng climate change, ng mga sitwasyon ng mga indigenous peoples, ‘yung mga refugees’ situation,” the former Manila archbishop said.
Tagle said the new pope is “calm, determined,” and doesn’t make a lot of noise.
“He is a very level-headed person. Hindi ‘yan yung tao na, parang impulse, reaction [ang] nagbibigay ng direction sa kanya. Makikinig ‘yan. At kung kailangan, aaralin niya ang isang bagay … Pero pagbalik ‘yan, kita mo, malinaw. At nakakatulong siya sa discernment,” he said.
Advincula recalled his experience being at the same table as the then-Cardinal Prevost at the 2023 session of the 16th Ordinary Synod of Bishops, dubbed the “Synod on Synodality,” which sought paths for a more inclusive and listening Church.
The Manila prelate pointed to the new pope’s background as a canon lawyer. Pope Leo XIV has a doctorate from Rome’s Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum.
“He is really self-effacing, very humble, happy in confidence, kalmado, and then talagang very clear sa kanyang mga explanation or exposition about certain matters, especially on canon law,” Advincula said.
