The passing of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV will evoke serious reflection from Seventh-day Adventist students of Bible prophecy, and for a cluster of reasons.
Many often suppose, in the wake of a papal election, as to the significance of the name a new pope chooses. The last pope to take the name Leo, Pope Leo XIII, was known for his ecumenical agenda [1], his devotion to Mariology (the elevation of the Virgin Mary) [2], and his concern for social justice [3]. (Some even labeled him the “Social Pope” or the “Pope of the Workers” because of his concerns for the working class and their rights [4].) A notable development during his reign was carrying forward the agenda of the First Vatican Council (1869-1870), whose principal aim was the reaffirmation of Catholic theology in the face of such modern belief systems as rationalism, socialism, communism, modernism, and secularism [5].
The election of Leo XIV, the Chicago cardinal born Robert Francis Prevost [6], marks a milestone in papal history, as he is the first pope elected from the United States [7]. A member of the Order of Saint Augustine [8], his record appears to be one of devout theological, moral, and ecclesiastical conservatism. He has opposed the inclusion of educational curricula regarding “teachings on gender in schools” [9], stating that the “promotion of gender ideology is confusing, because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist” [10]. He has spoken against those aspects of popular culture which foster “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel” [11], citing the homosexual lifestyle and “alternative families composed of same-sex partners and their adopted children” [12].
Pope Leo XIV has historically opposed the ordination of women to clerical positions within the Catholic Church [13].
If these initial indicators are accurate, it would appear that the public witness of the Catholic Church under Leo’s leadership will move decidedly toward a more conservative tone than that of his predecessor. While Francis made no substantive changes in Roman Catholic teachings, he sought to present a more tolerant spirit relative to issues like homosexuality, as evidenced by his query, “Who am I to judge?” regarding gays wishing to seek the Lord [14].
The Legacy of Pope Francis
One contemporary Adventist, notorious for his theological liberalism, writes glowingly of the late pope as “a good and decent churchman” [15]. While I’m happy to leave to the Lord the judgment of any person’s heart (I Kings 8:39), without question Pope Francis clung to those teachings against which the Protestant Reformers raised strong objection. He publicly affirmed the right of priests to determine whether those seeking absolution for having had abortions were in fact “contrite” [16], though how any fallible mortal can determine the inner state of another’s heart has yet to be explained. On two occasions Francis also endorsed the sale of indulgences, following the events of World Youth Day in 2013 [17] and again in preparation for the World Meeting of Families in Ireland in August 2018 [18].
The liberal Adventist article cited earlier acknowledged the troubled legacy of Pope Francis on the question of clergy sexual abuse [19], a record which includes the late pope’s defense of Argentina’s most notorious clerical sexual abuser, whose conviction was eventually upheld by the Argentine Supreme Court [20].
But perhaps the most egregious aspect of Francis’ pontificate was his canonization of the infamous Junipero Serra, the Franciscan monk who founded the missions of California while the latter was a Spanish colony [21]. Native American tribes from California strongly objected to the pope’s making this man a saint, whose “ministry” to the natives was marked by forced conversions to Catholicism [22] and what historians have depicted as “a legacy of genocide” [23].
Conclusion: The New Pope
Unfortunately, evidence has already surfaced that like the late Pope Francis, the new pope has failed to properly address issues of sexual misconduct by Roman Catholic clerics. According to a new article just released by the Jerusalem Post:
Survivor‑advocacy groups and Catholic media quickly resurfaced allegations that he (Leo XIV) failed to act decisively against accused priests during earlier assignments in Illinois and Peru, raising questions about how the new pope will address clergy sexual abuse going forward [24].
None can be certain as to exactly what the new pontiff will do during his reign. But the record of his public statements offer further evidence of the truth of Ellen White’s inspired commentary, when she writes that “it is the boast of Rome that she never changes” [25]. Speaking of the end-time ecumenical alliance between the papacy and apostate Protestantism, she writes:
How the Roman church can clear herself from the charge of idolatry we cannot see. . . . And this is the religion which Protestants are beginning to look upon with so much favor, and which will eventually be united with Protestantism. This union will not, however, be effected by a change in Catholicism, for Rome never changes. She claims infallibility. It is Protestantism that will change [26].
From what we see thus far in the record and public statements of the new pope, any notion that Pope Francis had succeeded in moving the papacy in a more theologically liberal, doctrinally tolerant direction should dissipate quickly. The fact that Leo XIV is an American who speaks many languages, who has served as an overseas missionary, will likely build even stronger ties between the papacy and the United States—the two prophetic beasts of Revelation chapter 13. Again we see evidence of the shortness of time, of God’s desire to bring history to the triumphant close foretold in the inspired writings.
May His remnant people discern the eschatological omens with ever increasing clarity, is my prayer.
REFERENCES
1. “Leo XIII” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIII
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. “Leo XIV” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIV
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. “Francis explains ‘who am I to judge?’” National Catholic Reporter, Jan. 10, 2016 https://www.ncronline.org/francis-explains-who-am-i-judge
15. Loren Seibold, “Of Pope Francis,” Adventist Today, April 21, 2025 https://atoday.org/of-pope-francis/
16. Alastair Jamieson and Claudio Lavanga, “Pope Francis: Priests Can Forgive Abortion If Women Are ‘Contrite’” NBC News online, Sept. 1, 2015 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/religion/pope-francis-priests-can-forgive-abortion-if-women-are-contrite-n419321
17. “Trending @ Pontifex,” Time, Aug. 5, 2013, p. 48.
18. Mark McCleary, “Pope Francis grants indulgences for Dublin participants,” BBC News, June 3, 2018 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44294906
19. Seibold, “Of Pope Francis,” Adventist Today, April 21, 2025 https://atoday.org/of-pope-francis/
20. “Pope Francis’ troubled course on addressing clergy sexual abuse,” PBS News, April 23, 2025 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/pope-francis-troubled-course-on-addressing-clergy-sexual-abuse#:~:text=Julio%20Grassi%2C%20who%20was%20Argentina's,should%20have%20gone%20to%20trial.
21. “Junipero Serra,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jun%C3%ADpero_Serra
22. Sylvia Poggioli, “Native Americans Protest Canonization of Junipero Serra,” npr, Sept. 16, 2015 https://www.npr.org/2015/09/16/440914077/native-americans-protest-canonization-of-junipero-serra#:~:text=The%20canonization%20of%20Junipero%20Serra,brutally%20imposed%20conversion%20to%20Catholicism.
24. “New pope Leo XIV faces scrutiny over past handling of clergy-abuse issues,” Jerusalem Post, May 8, 2025 https://www.jpost.com/international/article-853274
25. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 581.
26. ----Last Day Events, p. 130.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan