Reflecting on Pope Leo XIV’s call “for the Church to be a leaven of unity and love in the midst of the restlessness and questions of our world,” I.m drawn into a place of both reverence and wrestling.
As a Lutheran, shaped by a tradition that emerged in direct opposition to the papacy and watching the inauguration of a new pope, I am reminded of how deeply intertwined our stories have become, and how much we now share across the once bitter lines of division.
The world's robust excitement about this pope, and Pope Francis before him is contagious. The events around this as a spectacle alone moved the news from politics to religion, which became a welcome change. I value how the Catholic tradition treasures continuity, apostolic witness, and sacramental life. Though I interpret those differently through the lens of the Reformation, I can still honor their beauty and meaning, especially as I consider the many faithful Christians in my own congregation with Catholic roots. These bonds are not abstract. They sit in the pews with me. They are family, friends, siblings in Christ.
This morning, during the Mass of Inauguration for the Petrine Ministry of Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome, I was unexpectedly moved. His words spoke with humility and hope:
“I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family.”
These are not words of triumphalism. They are the words of a servant-leader, conscious of the weight of history and of the deep longing for reconciliation among Christians. And while I do not affirm the Catholic understanding of papal authority, I can respect the sincerity of a shepherd striving to serve with joy and humility. I was also struck by the profound sense of mystery and reverence expressed through the liturgy, something that resonates deeply with my own love for the sacred and the sacramental.
Of course, I cannot help but think of the long shadow cast by history. Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther in 1521, condemning the Reformation’s call for reform, for Scripture’s primacy (sola scriptura), and for a return to the Gospel’s core message of grace. Watching a papal inauguration could feel, to some, like witnessing the celebration of an institution that once rejected the very identity of our tradition. For generations, Protestants removed the word “catholic” from the creed, substituting “Christian” as a quiet protest.
And yet, in 2025, the world is different. We are different. While institutional differences remain and matter, we can no longer ignore the common ground we share: faith in Jesus Christ, baptism into his life, death, and resurrection, trust in the creeds, and hope in God’s grace. These are not small things. They are the heart of Christian identity.
So I ask myself: what does it mean to be Lutheran today? What does it mean to be part of the Church catholic—lowercase c, meaning universal—in an age longing for reconciliation, healing, and integrity? What does it mean for all Christians to be faithful witnesses to Christ together, even when our theological languages differ?
In the spirit of unity; not uniformity, but unity in Christ; this morning at Creator Lutheran, during the Prayers of the People, we lifted up Pope Leo XIV and his papacy. It was a small gesture, perhaps, but a meaningful one. A prayer that the Holy Spirit would guide him, that he might be, as he hopes, a servant of faith and joy, and that we all might walk together in love.
We are, after all, still being re-formed, by grace, by dialogue, by time, and by the ever-patient work of the Spirit.
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