But since the new Pope did not publish his first encyclical during this period, nor did he make any significant appointments within the Roman Curia, journalists are striving to decipher signs of continuity with the pontificate of Francis, or of change.
Some Elements of Change Within Continuity
On the Monday Vatican website, dated August 25, 2025, Andrea Gagliarducci identifies some elements of change, specifying, however: Leo XIV presents himself as a Pope “at once in continuity and in contradiction."
He cites as examples two telegrams from the new Pope to the bishops of South America.
First, a telegram, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin on behalf of the Pope, was sent to the meeting of bishops from the Amazon region, held in Bogotá, Colombia, from August 17 to 20.
This telegram contains a detail that did not go unnoticed. The Pope invites everyone to place Jesus Christ at the center, because this is how injustice is overcome. He then defines as “no less evident” the right and duty to care for our common home, “so that no one irresponsibly destroys the natural resources that speak of the goodness and beauty of the Creator.”
“But,” the Pope adds, quoting St. Ignatius of Loyola, “man must not submit to natural resources as a slave or worshipper of nature, since these things are given to us to fulfill our purpose of praising God and thus obtaining the salvation of souls.”
In his commentary, Andrea Gagliarducci recalls that Pope Francis participated in an Amazonian rite ceremony in the Vatican Gardens, planting a sacred tree and prostrating himself before a statue of Pachamama [October 4, 2019]. He contrasts this with “the approach of Leo XIV,” which, in his view, is “an act of discontinuity with Francis’s methods, not with his themes. This probably makes him more significant than a direct or explicit rejection of Bergoglian themes.”
This “probably more significant” reveals the journalist’s unease, and one wonders about the effectiveness of an indirect and implicit refutation with the South American bishops.
The second telegram was addressed to Cardinal Jaime Spengler, president of the Episcopal Council of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAM), for its 40th Ordinary General Assembly, held from May 26 to 30 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Leo XIV wrote: “In the present historical situation where a great number of men and women are enduring the tribulations and poverty caused by continuous crises on a continental and global scale, it is urgent to remember that it is the Risen One, present in our midst, Who protects and guides the Church, giving it new life in hope, thanks to the love which ‘has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us’ (Rom 5:5).”
Andrea Gagliarducci comments: “Leo XIV does not reject Pope Francis’s social vision, nor his theology of the people. He insists, however, on the centrality of Jesus Christ, a central theme when discussing liberation theology or Catholic social movements in Latin America.”
This is why the Vatican expert considers Leo XIV to be “a Pope of discontinuity within continuity. He seeks a harmonization that does not break with the previous pontificate, but which, at the same time, brings clarity and direction.” – It is this (doctrinal) clarity and this (pastoral) direction that observers will scrutinize closely in the coming months.
Regarding the Roman Curia and upcoming appointments, Andrea Gagliarducci believes that “we should not expect the pope to revolutionize the Curia, change the Apostolic Constitution envisioned by Pope Francis, or suddenly overturn certain decisions.” He will adopt some of his ideas and implement others, always seeking a balance with his predecessor.
Hints, But Not Proof of Real Change
On August 27, on his websites, Corrispondenza romana and robertodemattei.it, the academic Roberto de Mattei cautiously states: “The Church’s time frames are not that of politics, and three months is insufficient for a serious analysis of the future.”
He does, however, note the first impression made by the newly elected Pope, that of a “pastor aware that his mission has no other foundation than Christ. The expression In Illo uno unum ‘in the one Christ, we are one,’ which echoes the St. Augustine’s words on Psalm 127, is the motto of the new pope, who appears convinced that he will not be judged by his innovations and worldly success, but by his fidelity to the teachings of the Gospel.”
The Italian historian also identifies “signs of a reversal” in relation to Francis’s fluctuating teachings: “'Marriage is not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman,' he said on 31 May 2025, correcting Amoris Laetitia; in his speech to government leaders on 21 June, along the lines of Benedict XVI, Pope Leo firmly defended natural law, 'written not by human hands, but acknowledged as valid in all times and places.”
“On July9, in a homily at Castel Gandolfo he seemed to correct the green ideology so prized by Francis; in the audience of August 13th, he asserted that Judas Iscariot chose to exclude himself from salvation with his betrayal, in contrast to Pope Bergoglio, who had said that he did not know whether Judas had gone to hell. In a letter addressed on August 17th to the ecclesial conference of the Amazon he condemned worship of nature, placing Christ and the Eucharist at the center of evangelization.”
Furthermore, Roberto de Mattei notes that “the Pope appointed Cardinal Robert Sarah as his special envoy for the solemn celebrations held on 25 and 16 July at the Shrine of St. Anne d’Auray (France), at the fourth hundredth anniversary of the apparitions, and Cardinal Dominik Duka, who signed dubia on Amoris Laetitia, as his special envoy for the celebrations for the centenary of the establishment of the Archdiocese of Gdańsk (Poland), which will take place on October 14, 2025.”
“Then, on August 22, Leo XIV received in private audience Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, whom Francis considered one of his worst enemies. In a letter he sent on 17 June to Cardinal Burke, on the occasion of his Jubilee, the Pope thanked him for the ‘prompt service he carried out with zeal’ on behalf of the Apostolic See, always preaching ‘the precepts of the Gospel according to the Heart of Christ.’”
However, Roberto de Mattei acknowledges that “Of course, these are indications, not proofs of a real change, but nor does there exist proof to the contrary, and the critical predictions about the Leonine pontificate are based on tenuous indications. The field therefore remains open, with problems on the horizon that concern, in addition to the crucial issue of appointments, crucial questions like Synodality and the Vatican’s relations with China.”
And the historian reminds us that “St. Pius X waited four years before condemning modernism” and that Pius IX was “a pope who did not become anti-liberal until three years after his election, following a rude awakening caused by the revolutionary persecution and his flight from Rome.”
Facing Reality
On his blog post of August 30, journalist Aldo Maria Valli presents, in the form of a dialogue with an imaginary opponent, the objections a Catholic attached to Tradition might raise, and the responses that can be given to them.
According to him, “Pope Prevost is a product of the Vatican II Church. … So he can’t be aything other than what he is. … It’s about facing reality. Leo XIV cannot be a new Pius X, but not even a Pius XII.” He acknowledges that he is “a pope who, to a certain extent, also seems to love Tradition and is aware of the divisions in the Church. But the horizon remains the same.”
In these circumstances, his attitude is as follows: “Continue to be vigilant and bear witness. With great respect for the successor of Peter, but without compromise. We’ve had enough of papolatry. Let us sift through and retain what is good, but knowing full well that we are still in a state of Vatican IIism.”
Aldo Maria Valli writes realistically: ‘I never imagined the new pope would say: I reject Vatican II. I’m happy when Leo puts Jesus back at the center. I’m very happy when he says that only Jesus saves us. It is nice that he quotes Augustine. It is nice that he defends Christian marriage and natural law. It’s nice that he’s devoted to Mary. It is nice that in his message to the Amazonian bishops, he condemned nature worship, putting an end to the Pachamama scandal.”
“It is less nice that he suggests the synodal path will continue. We'll see what he says on September 6 at the LGBT Jubilee, if he says anything at all [Leo XIV received Fr. James Martin, a zealous advocate for LGBT presence in the Church, in a private audience, but did not greet or bless their "rainbow" Jubilee during the Sunday Angelus. His silence angered both gay rights activists and Catholic faithful, who were shocked by this unnatural "pilgrimage" to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. - Ed.]. And what he decides about the Traditional Latin Mass. If he decides anything.”
The Italian journalist cautiously concludes: “I appreciated, for example, that he received Cardinal Burke and appointed Cardinal Sarah as his special envoy to the Shrine of St. Anne d’Auray. But, I repeat, vigilance continues. Without becoming pedantic.… I don’t hope for anything. Rather, I pray. That the Pope may confirm me in the faith. Both with what he says and does, and with what he does not say and does not do.” A “silent revolution”?
In Il Tempo of August 25, Francesco Capozza considers that Leo XIV is leading a “silent revolution,” at least regarding the upcoming appointments. He admits: “It is true that Leo has a gentler, more introverted character than Francis’s exuberant personality, but his silences, attested to by numerous cardinals and heads of dicasteries received in audience during these first hundred days, speak volumes.”
“Prevost listens to everyone, from the most loyal Bergoglio supporters who, in the presence of the new pontiff, are trying to save their positions, to those who were sidelined during the previous pontificate and who now hope to once again have some influence. For all of them, however, Leo is impenetrable and unpredictable.”
But this gentleness and this capacity for universal listening does not deceive the Italian journalist, who writes: “In reality, after receiving all the Church leaders during these first few months, the Pope has very clear, even very precise, ideas about those in whom he can place his trust and those whom he must gently escort out the door.”
“The first in order of importance whose mandate will not be confirmed is Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference.… It is now clear to everyone that Leo XIV will wait for the natural end of Zuppi's term, scheduled for May 2027, to replace him as head of the Italian Episcopal Conference.” – This reveals a pope who is not only “gentle and introverted,” but also extremely patient.
Another prelate who should be dismissed by Leo XIV, according to Francesco Capozza, is “the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, Mauro Gambetti.” – Time will tell, whether it is a near or distant future.