LSTC Joins Ecumenical Partners in Celebrating the Election of Pope Leo XIV

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago joins our Catholic siblings around the world in rejoicing at the recent election of Pope Leo XIV. Originally from Chicago, Pope Leo obtained his Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union (CTU), which LSTC has shared its campus with since 2023.

Fr. Salvatore Enzo Del Brocco, CP, CTU’s President-Elect, says Pope Leo’s “pastoral heart, humility, and intellectual depth” reflect CTU’s commitment to forming compassionate, justice-oriented leaders for the Church and the world. “Whether it’s through ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, justice work, pastoral practice, or theological reflection, CTU equips students to lead with courage and compassion. This moment should inspire us to deepen that mission: to form voices that speak truth with love, disarm division, and accompany others with humility,” Del Brocco says.

The excitement over Pope Leo XIV’s election could be felt on campus when he was elected on May 8. A group of LSTC students and faculty gathered in Classroom C to watch the livestream, not knowing that someone with such close connections to LSTC was about to step out onto the balcony and forever change the trajectory of the church.

“Watching the livestreaming of the first appearance of the new Pope Leo XIV along with my History and Theology II students was such an enthralling and moving experience,” LSTC’s Augustana Heritage Professor of Global Mission and World Christianity Peter Vethanayagamony says. “Only a few hours [before] in my class we discussed the significant reform measures introduced by the Vatican II, and Pope Leo XIV’s receptive attitude toward some of the recent reforms his predecessor, Pope Francis, championed gives me the impression under the able leadership of his pontificate the global Catholic Church would reach new heights, reconciling diverse communities.”

Del Brocco shares Vethanayagamony’s anticipatory attitude, describing his hope for the Pope to unify during this new and uncertain era particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). “His choice of the name Leo XIV is deeply meaningful. Just as Pope Leo XIII responded to the social crises of his day with Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIV is signaling the Church’s responsibility to respond to today’s seismic shifts, especially those related to the digital age and artificial intelligence. I’m quite sure he will continue, like Francis, to bring the Church’s moral wisdom into global conversations on AI—calling for technology that uplifts human dignity, safeguards labor, and benefits the common good and safeguards our common home.”

Unfortunately, Pope Leo XIV has already made it clear he will not be coming to Chicago any time soon, speaking in a recent interview with NBC Nightly News’ Lester Holt. Nevertheless, LSTC joins the chorus of those in Chicago and around the world with our hearty congratulations and refrains of “Go Sox!”