Pope Leo XIV Is His Own Man, Says Close Friend

As a bishop in Peru, Pope Leo XIV had already put into practice Francis’s proposals, Bishop Alberto Bochatey of Argentina, who continued saying that the pontiff “will continue in this way, evidently adding his own style” 

Bochatey spoke to Argentina’s leading newspaper La Nacion in May, reminiscing about his long-term friendship with the pope. Like Leo, Bochaey was born in 1955 and is a member of the Augustinian order. During their respective studies in Rome, they lived in the Augustinianum residence there. Their friendship has spanned three decades. The former Bishop Robert Prevost attended Bochatey’s episcopal ordination in Argentina in 2013. 

Bishop Bochatey believes that Pope Francis "discovered" Prevost and elevated him to the episcopacy in 2014, and rewarded him with two complicated Peruvian dioceses. This was crowned by appointments to the Dicastery for Bishops, prefect, and ultimately Cardinal. "It is as if Francis had pointed his finger at him. He was one of the cardinals that he saw with hope," Bochatey said. He added, "I believe that Leo XIV will undoubtedly follow the great lines proposed by Francis,” adding that the two worked “hand in hand.”

He said, however, Leo XIV is a "more serene man" than Francis,  and "we will not see him drinking yerba mate in the square. He will be less unruly, but that does not mean that he will go backwards.” The bishop added that the American pope had “great respect and affection for Francis.” He said, "We must not forget that he worked closely with Francis for the last two years. They met every Saturday to talk about bishops and certainly many other topics." And, "Francis gave him a lot of support. He always considered him as one of the hopes."

The interviewer asked Bochatey what he imagines that Leo will do. The Argentine bishop answered, “I think he will undoubtedly follow the great lines proposed by Francis, who set the Church on a style necessary for the 21st century, which is a bit what he said by taking the name of Leo XIV, after Leo XIII, who was the one who placed the world in the 20th century, in modernity. So, the dream is that he can continue to push into the 21st century, with the certainty that he has already lived in this Church.”

“In what sense?” the interviewer asked. Bochatey said that while Francis spoke of a Church that “goes out,” as a priest and bishop, Leo “left his native United States and was a missionary in Peru for 20 years,” where he battled with Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori and then was later critical of President Donald Trump. “When Francis spoke to us about the synodal Church, [Pope Leo] had been for years a promoter of dialogue, of joint paths within the Augustinian Order, which means sitting and listening in meetings, fashioning documents together; it was an immense experience in all that: he had already had a synodal life within the Order. I know that there are several characteristics that Francis proposed to the world that when you see the life of Leo XIV, he already lived it. He understood."

When ask whether his papacy would reflect characteristics of Francis’s pontificate, Bochatey said, “Yes, that is to say, if he has already lived it, he is going to continue in this way, evidently adding his own style, his own mood, as the Spaniards would say, since he is a more serene man. We will not see him drinking yerba mate in the town square, he will be less disruptive, but that does not mean he will go backwards. In fact, I laughed at some of the comments, that he has worn the red hood or that he is going to live in the [Apostolic] palace. He is going to do it because he is more formal than Francisco... My grandfather would have said he is a very well educated gentleman who is going to maintain the forms, but he will reform the contents, without a doubt.” 

When asked about the contents of Francis’s proposals, Bochatey answered, “He will continue on the path of renewal. We’ve already heard the theme of peace, the theme of war. We will discover in him a wealth of thinking because he is a very good theologian. He knows Saint Augustine very well, he’s a doctor of canon law, he has been dedicated to pastoral life, on a donkey and on mission, as well in university life and in the formation of seminarians.”

Bochatey cautioned that the new pope is his own man and not a Francis 2.0 and that this will be a challenge for him. Bochatey said Leo XIV will find it challenging to ‘make Francis’s ideas a reality. “Francis opened up many fronts and initiatives, the whole synodal way which is a huge explosion, but it must be brought to earth. There are still many people today who don’t know very well how do this nor where it is leading. Also, there is the issue of organizing or working towards peace in the world, and other issues, such as artificial intelligence.  He faces great challenges, but I think the greatest challenge is for people to accept that he is Leo XIV and is not Francis II. I think that the worst thing that this pope can do is imitate Francis.”