A number of years in the past, Pope Francis turned to an Augustinian priest and requested a query a few personnel choice he was contemplating.
“If I title Prevost as the top of the workplace for the bishops, how do you suppose he’ll do?” the Rev. Alejandro Ethical Antón, the prior basic of the Order of St. Augustine, stated Francis requested him within the library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. He was referring to Robert Francis Prevost, a fellow Augustinian cleric.
Father Ethical Antón stated he would do properly.
“I additionally suppose he’ll,” Francis answered.
He did higher than most would have imagined. And on Thursday, he adopted Francis because the chief of the Roman Catholic Church, changing into its 267th pope.
However the quiet dialog within the Apostolic Palace was the results of years of mutual admiration between the current and future popes.
They first met in Latin America, the place the American-born missionary who would change into Leo XIV and the Argentine who grew to become Francis had been each climbing the ranks of the church, based on the brand new pope’s brother and two of his outdated buddies.
“Pope Leo spoke of Pope Francis as a superb pal,” stated the Rev. Tony Pizzo, one of many new pope’s buddies and a former schoolmate.
By 2013, Francis had change into pope, and the longer term Leo had change into the prior basic for the Augustinian order in Rome, a task he was about to go away. Then Francis supplied to preside over a personal Mass on the Basilica of St. Augustine in Rome.
“Bob practically fell over,” stated the Rev. Anthony Banks, one other Augustinian. Often, he stated, “popes don’t have the time or the vitality to spend” at congregational Plenty.
On the Mass, Father Prevost known as the pope “an excellent present” and praised his compassion and outreach to the trustworthy, and Francis thanked him “very, very a lot,” Father Ethical Antón stated.
A yr later, Francis named Father Prevost bishop of the Peruvian diocese of Chiclayo. Francis had been inspired by experiences he had obtained about how he caught near his flock, based on Father Ethical Antón, who stated he continued to have conversations with Francis in regards to the new bishop. In 2023, Francis appointed him to steer the Vatican’s workplace overseeing bishops, one of many church’s high jobs, and named him to be a cardinal.
In Rome, Francis stored nearer tabs on future Leo, assembly with him each Saturday. And after a significant assembly of church leaders, Francis expressed admiration for his work ethic. “Prevost’s preparation,” Father Ethical Antón stated Francis instructed him, “was superb.”
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