In America, for many hours, everyone was talking about the cardinal who was elected to succeed the good and virtuous Pope Francis. The surprise was—and still is—tremendous. “America is back!” I exclaimed instinctively. Fortunately, an American was elected, someone who can speak for the poor, the persecuted, the migrants (yes, there are many like them)… at a time, when America, is being governed by “the most unworthy” of politicians and “the most reckless” of billionaires.
I immediately went online to read what the two major newspapers, the New York Times and the Washington Post, had to say. And in my joy, I composed a letter with some of my key thoughts and sent it to them. A few hours later, my friend and collaborator in New York, Mr. George Goutakolis, sent me the following message on my mobile phone: “Very good!!! Congratulations again! The fact alone that they chose ‘Let This Papacy Be a Light in Darkening Times’ as the headline, and that it was published by the two leading newspapers in the world, speaks for itself!”
Below is the letter, as it was published in the New York Times – first in line. (In the Washington Post, it appeared along with other letters, here: 8 Catholics and advocates on their hopes for Pope Leo XIV.)
‘Let This Papacy Be a Light in Darkening Times’ May 9, 2025.
To the Editor:
Re “An American Pope” (front page, May 9):
In an age of crises and confusion, it is no small thing to have a new pope. Humanity longs for a moral compass, and Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, may well be that rare guide. In him, we hope for the twin virtues of logic and justice.
Let this papacy be a light in darkening times, and astonishingly, a rare moment to be proud to be an American.
But more than hope, we need courage. Authoritarianism is no longer creeping; it’s parading in capitals from Moscow to Budapest to Washington. The pope, above politics yet not beyond truth, can speak the inconvenient word when others remain silent.
And then there is capitalism, a brilliant machine now spinning wildly out of control. When so few hands hold most of the world’s wealth and billions grow poorer, divine justice demands a reckoning. A pope with clarity and courage can call for not just charity, but drastic change as well.
So the wish “God bless America” might have a truer meaning.
Dimitris Eleas
Brooklyn
Finally, it’s worth noting that Robert Prevost, “when he was a child in Chicago, used to play priest” and “gave out Holy Communion using wafers,” according to the siblings of the new pope. And today, at age 69, he is the 267th leader of the time-enduring Roman Catholic Church!
At the same time, it might be good to recall Sigmund Freud and Cornelius Castoriadis: the former, spoke about the significance of childhood experiences in shaping every person’s life, and the latter, spoke so beautifully about imagination (on an individual level) and the imaginary (on a collective level).
