The fact that the conclave was over quickly suggests that from the outset, a significant number of the voting cardinals felt Robert Prevost was the one amongst them best equipped to take on the challenges a pope faces.
In the lead up to the election – during the formal meetings of cardinals, and the informal dinners and coffees they had to discuss the type of person they were looking for – it was apparent that two words kept coming up, “continuity” and “unity”.
There was a recognition among many that Pope Francis had started something hugely impactful, through reaching out to the those living on the margins of society, to those on the peripheries of the Catholic world and also to those outside the faith.
There was appreciation for his endeavour to become a voice for the voiceless and focus on the poor and those whose destinies were not in their own hands.
But there was also a sense that work had to be done to resolve the (sometimes very public) splits between those of different schools of thought within the Church hierarchy, often characterised as traditionalist and progressive.
It was in that context that Robert Prevost’s name started to be talked of as a serious contender. As someone who supported Pope Francis behind the scenes, but who different factions could still think of as one of their own.
But the voting cardinals had been tasked by the Church with considering not just what the institution and Catholic believers needed, but also what humanity needed at a difficult juncture, with war and division the backdrop.
Again, Cardinal Prevost – the US-Peruvian dual national, who was talked of as feeling as at home with his North American peers as he was with Latin American colleagues – was seen as someone who, as pope, could connect different worlds.
Pope Francis was sometimes criticised for lacking an ability to win more allies in the US on the big issues of migration and climate change and inequality, because of a disconnect in understanding the most effective ways of communicating his arguments to them.
For those who had in their minds that the primary requirement being sought of a new pope was an ability to bring “continuity” and “unity”, during his speech on St Peter’s balcony, Leo XIV gave strong clues as to why the cardinals chose him.
In his talk of “building bridges” and people globally being “one people” he evoked echoes of Pope Francis and also talked of unity at its fullest.
In these early days, his past will be heavily scrutinised. His political views examined, his track record on dealing with abuse dissected, and his comments over the years on social issues charted.
Much of this is already in the public domain so it can only be assumed that the cardinal electors felt there was nothing of enough consequence to impair his ability to lead the Catholic Church and be the global moral voice they were looking for.
Huge challenges lie ahead. But with resolution after just four conclave votes, he starts out with a strong mandate from the men he will need the most through his papacy.
