“Habemus Papam” (We have a pope) was announced before hundreds gathered at St. Peter’s Square Thursday evening, the second day of the conclave, and after the fourth ballot. Robert Francis Prevost, 70, under the papal name, Pope Leo XIV, will be the first pope from the US. Pope Leo, who comes from the Order of Saint Augustine, an order dedicated to the service of the poor, was known for his outspoken views about social justice and migration. Born in Chicago, he has dual citizenship in both the US and Peru. He visited Cebu in 2004 and Intramuros in 2010 while still a priest.

Pope Francis, one of the most loved and trusted popes, once described by our own Archbishop Socrates Villegas as “Jesus” of our times, championed policies on social justice, environment, and rights of migrants, women and children and the LBTQ’s, among others.

Several millions all over the world awaited with bated breath. Bets were being made. Last night as I watched on TV the start of the Conclave and people walking around St. Peter’s Square, I wondered about expectations on what was in the minds of the 133 cardinals. They represent the members of their faith from all over the world. And for centuries, this group of the highest officials of the Church had taken a vow of secrecy in these sacred rites to select their pope. Following their prayers and after the doors of the Sistine Chapel closed, and we can only see the two guards watching over rites watched by the rest of the world. After counting out the results of their votes, it was sent out in the form of black smoke which was emitted through the chimney in the chapel. This meant that there has been as yet no unanimity on the chosen one.

The 2025 conclave has been rendered more meaningful for us in the country as it happened during the week of our mid-term election on Monday, May 12, where we shall elect 12 senators to replace the ones retiring, and several thousands of local government officials – from governors, mayors and councilors.

Thus, we can say that these two events make this week and the election of a new pope, radical catalysts in changing our course of history. Almost 80 percent of our population is Catholic, making the country the third largest country in the world with people of this religion. But even non-Catholics have been much influenced by recent popes who had provided models of what most believe are the values needed to reverse the current trends that we continue to witness – inequality where wealth and power resides in less that 20 percent of our population, corruption, continuing conflict and violence, inflation and endemic poverty.

On the local elections, we see two trends – one of hope that our people would reverse the continuing trend over the years such as vote-buying, red-flagging, presence of trolls who had managed to interfere in election results. The other is that we have been able to mobilize an increasing percentage of our population, particularly the youth and new voters, on the importance of popular democracy, to look at election as an opportunity to build a new society of values that place premium on truth, justice, and equality.

The other trend is the “de javu” attitude of having been there and nothing had changed. We don’t blame the latter as we have not yet been able to build the cadre of dedicated, just and empathetic leaders that are needed to reverse the trends.

But the optimists that we are, we believe that there is a quiet but genuine change going on among our people in the country and in the world. When I see documentaries of Pope Francis and other heroes, and watched how people from all walks of life are touched by their spirituality, humility, and passion for those who have less in life or those displaced like thousands of migrants from various parts of the world, I begin to hope that change is possible.

We pray that the Spirit would move our cardinals and the voters. That this week or the next would eventually gift us with the miracle of a revolution in our hearts, the change that would fulfill our dreams for a kinder, and more giving society for our children. ([email protected])