"I believe that Pope Francis supported him spiritually during the conclave," said the Prior General of the Augustinian Order, Father Alejandro Moral Antón, in an interview with the press agency of the Italian Bishops' Conference (SIR) on Thursday.
"There is a deep harmony between them, and I believe that Leo XIV sensed his closeness at the very moment of the election."
This is why Leo XIV quoted Francis several times during his inaugural mass.
"You can sense a sincere affection. He always appreciated him."
The new Pope also continues to have a close relationship with his order, said the Prior General.
During his visit to the Roman Curia of the Order, he had told Leo XIV that as a bishop he had remained most closely connected to the Order.
"Of course, the other bishops are also very connected to us, but you can feel something special about him."
The new Pope's lunch in the order's curia was also an "intimate, fraternal moment".
"He greeted all the brothers personally. You could sense that he still feels like one of us."
More than 150 enquiries to the vocations officer
According to the Prior General, the election of Leo XIV as Pope also has practical consequences for the Augustinian Order: "Our vocations officer told me that we have received more than 150 enquiries about our charism in just one week," said Moral. "It's a time that can bear positive fruit for all of us, not just for us."
When he noticed the white smoke, Moral already suspected that his friar might have been elected pope.
"At that moment, I said to myself: it's Parolin or Prevost. I sensed that it would be one of the two." In the first days of the pontificate, he experienced Leo XIV calmly, Moral continued.
"He lives this mission with a sense of responsibility, but also with great inner peace," said the Prior General.
"Leo XIV is level-headed, balanced, able to listen and observe. He is the right person for this time," said Moral.
Fr Moral - as the successor to Robert Francis Prevost, the current Pope Leo XIV - has been Prior General of the Augustinian Order since 2013.
He was previously Vicar General of the order under Prevost.
The two have known each other for over 40 years.