With both Pope Francis and now Pope Leo XIV, secularists have been hoping for a “progressive Pope” while Protestants have worried about the new Pope being a “progressive”. In reality, there is no such thing as a “progressive Pope”.
The Catholic Church has certain moral standards, and those have been upheld by the two most recent Popes. The Catholic Church also believes in peace, compassion, and meeting the needs of the poor. Pope Francis didn’t change long-standing church teachings, but he was the “total package” rather than the reformer secularists desired and Protestants feared. A Pope or other Catholic leader who doesn’t desire to change moral standards but emphasizes other aspects of the church isn’t progressive but rather the total package.
Early in his Papacy,
