OF THE writing of books about Pope Francis and Pope Leo, there appears to be no end. Christopher Lamb, an English Vaticanologist who works for CNN (Cable News Network) and has written for The Tablet and the Telegraph, starts to answer the often asked question: will Pope Leo continue the policies of his predecessor as Bishop of Rome or will the brake on reform be put on again?

He does this by examining carefully Pope Leo’s track record as Pope and earlier as Augustinian friar, as Cardinal Robert Prevost; Chicago-born, but also a citizen of Peru, where he was Bishop of Chiclayo. Lamb writes against the background of President Trump’s erratic populism and the phenomenon of conservative Catholic criticism of Pope Francis in the English-speaking world, especially the United States. There are frequent and detailed cross-references to both. This is not the least value of this book.

The two phenomena are related in what Lamb calls the rise of “Christian nationalism”; not unknown now in Britain. The antics of AI-generated pictures of President Trump as Pope are catalogued. Since the book was published, we have seen this again in President Trump as Jesus, and there has been criticism of Pope Leo by the President as “weak”, with reference to Pope Leo’s criticism of the Iran war and US immigration policy.

Lamb sees Pope Leo as a spiritual (American) counter-weight to current American politics. This was one reason, he argues, for the election of an American pope — a thing not thought possible before.

Lamb shows Leo as a “listening Pope” and points to the often remarked parallel between the spontaneity of Pope John XXIII and the reserved Paul VI in Pope Francis and Pope Leo. But Pope Paul VI was a reformer, even with his mistakes. Lamb documents this parallel carefully and argues that, though Leo is totally committed to a Vatican II Church, he works for this “through” rather than “against” the Vatican system. In other words, Pope Leo has known the Vatican from the inside and tries to take all, or almost all, with him after synodal listening to the wider Church first.

There are also fascinating descriptions of other characters, such as the newly converted American Vice-President J. D. Vance, who recently suggested that the Augustinian Pope should improve his theology! Lamb’s detailed sketches also include those of conservative bishops and cardinals who opposed Francis. These include those who accuse Leo of faults in safeguarding. Lamb lists where Leo has already put in place reforms, including his part in the abolition of a right-wing Peruvian Catholic society.

Lamb covers the place of women — or lack of it — in the Church, and also the way in which Leo welcomed an LBTGQI+ pilgrimage to St Peter’s. There is a fascinating chapter on the Vatican’s financial scandals, with prelates out of their depth in dealing with corrupt financiers. A final chapter looks at Leo and Gen Z Catholicism.

All in all, this is a well-researched book with a great deal of detail to back up the author’s contention that Leo is a quiet reformer. Though unlikely to change dogmas, he is well placed to continue Francis’s reforms, possibly with more dexterity than his predecessor. It is also a page-turner.

The Rt Revd Christopher Hill is a former Bishop of Guildford.

American Hope: What Pope Leo XIV means for the Church and the world
Christopher Lamb
Headline Press £25
(978-1-03-544057-3)
Church Times Bookshop £22.50