The New Papacy: Pope Leo's Foreign Policy
How much influence does the Vatican have on world affairs? The question has new relevance following the election of Robert Frances Prevost as the first American pope. Born and raised in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV spent 20 years as a missionary and priest in Peru and rose to the rank of bishop. Since his election in May, the new pope has pleaded for delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and an end to hostilities. He called Ukraine a senseless war and appealed to Russia to make a gesture for peace. And he decried that international law and the law of armed conflict no longer seem binding. “This is unworthy and shameful for humanity and for the leaders of nations,” he said.
Is anyone listening? After President Trump suggested the Vatican might be the best venue for a peace summit between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Putin turned the idea down. It was Putin’s predecessor, Joseph Stalin, who said: “How many divisions does the Pope have?”
So what is the influence of the Papacy on the secular world today? And what impact could Pope Leo have on the country of his birth and beyond? We put these questions to our next speaker, Kim Daniels, Director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.
She is well qualified to address these questions and more. She was appointed by the late Pope Francis as a member of the Vatican Dicastery (department) for Communication in 2016 and reappointed in 2021. She served in several major roles in Synod 2021-24 and was a member of the Synod Communications Commission. She also served as spokesperson for the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
An adjunct professor in Georgetown’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Kim also serves as a member of Georgetown’s Mission Advisory Board and as a senior mentor for the Figge Fellowship Program. Kim is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School.
Please join us August 26 for what is certain to be an enlightening presentation.
