As the world witnessed the historic election of Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, Fr Dushan Croos SJ, Jesuit priest at Holy Name Church and chaplain at Manchester Universities Catholic Chaplaincy, shared his reflections on BBC Radio 4.

From his position at the heart of the Church’s mission in Manchester, Fr Dushan offered his thoughts into the new pontiff’s first message and its significance for the global Catholic community.

In his interview, Fr Dushan highlighted the Pope's focus on fundamental Christian principles: "Listening to what he said before the blessing, emphasising peace, justice, walking together and sharing the joy of the risen Christ… he's got the right fundamentals." This emphasis on unity and joy resonated with Fr Dushan, suggesting a papacy grounded in compassion and communal faith.

Reflecting on Pope Leo XIV's missionary background, Fr Dushan noted: "Clearly, he focused on being a missionary, so being sent by Christ to share the joy of the Gospel. That's the core, but then: how is the Gospel applied in the middle of Manchester or in Peru, in a rural diocese, or amongst the poorest of our planet? How do we translate that, the Gospel, into those situations?"

This perspective underscores the challenges and opportunities in contextualising the Gospel's message across diverse cultural and socio-economic landscapes.

Fr Dushan also emphasised the Pope's role in addressing worldwide concerns: "There's something important about the role of the Pope: looking out on the whole world and being able to see from more centrally, from a bit higher up, seeing this is what's needed, perhaps in this place or in every place."

You can listen to the full programme by clicking here (Fr Dushan's interview begins at 7 mins 38 seconds in).

Photo of Pope Leo XVI: Edgar Beltrán / The Pillar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons