Special delivery to Pope Leo
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Fr Tony Banks, an Australian Augustine priest based in Rome, has hand delivered to Pope Leo XVI a copy of the first English-language biography written on him.
In the stampede to release the first book on the new Pope, local publisher ATF Press was quick off the mark in the English-speaking world with Leo XIV – An Apostle of Peace, released in Australia last month.
Written by French journalist Samuel Pruvot with Marc Leboucher, literary director of Salvator, the English translation of the biography was sought after by Catholic publishers in the United States, the birth country of Pope Leo.
Adelaide publisher Hilary Regan said it was a coup for ATF Press to gain the world English rights after some rapid negotiations with the French publishers.
An Adelaide launch of the book on July 6 was one of four scheduled for Australia and it is hoped there will be two in the US, including Chicago, the city of Pope Leo’s birth.
With the authors both in Rome for the conclave, the book covers the excitement and anticipation in the lead up to the white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel as well as a snapshot of Robert Prevost’s life and predictions on his papacy.
The English version includes an introduction by Australian priest Fr Tony Banks OSA who, as assistant general of the Order of St Augustine for the Asia Pacific region, lives and works In Rome at the order’s headquarters.
At the launch of the book at Rosary Church, Prospect, Fr Tony gave an insightful account of his friendship with fellow Augustinian Pope Leo which began when they were students.
The two became reacquainted during the Pope’s two terms as Prior General of the Order. Fr Tony was a provincial counsellor in Australia at the time and they worked closely together.
“I have known Pope Leo as mentor, as guide, as companion at the table in our refectory and at the table of the Lord,” Fr Tony writes in his introduction.
“He has been a diligent listener, a considered responder, a provocateur for goodness and reason.
“But most of all he has always shown his care and love for those who have encountered him. His faith is expressed in actions, and only then backed up by words – a true son of Augustine.”
Speaking to The Southern Cross before returning to Rome, Fr Tony recalled attending a spiritual convention outside Chicago in the early 1980s. One of the lectures had been rather “boring” so he and “Bob” (as he calls the now Pope) and two or three others ducked out for a game of tennis.
“He is a reasonable player and he plays still,” Fr Tony said.
“There is no court in the Vatican but the Augustinians have one in our compound (where Bob lived until his May election).”
Fr Tony said the Pope’s time in Peru, first as a missionary and later as Bishop of Chicalayo, undoubtedly shaped him.
“They were two very different periods. The first time there was great poverty and exploitation by forestry companies,” he said.
“He loved his time as Bishop of Chicalayo. To become a bishop, he had to become a citizen otherwise he would have remained the parochial administrator.”
It was his years in Rome from early 2023, however, that truly marked him out as a possibility for the papacy, according to Fr Tony.
“He was a strong candidate,” he said.
“We knew that he had a fairly big profile simply because he had been Prior General. His last two years were in Rome as head of Dicastery of Bishops. He would have had a reputation among the bishops.”
Medical surgery prevented Fr Tony from being in Rome at the time of the funeral of Pope Francis but he was in contact with Cardinal Prevost who emailed him to say: “They are not going to vote for an American pope.”
There was an increasing lack of sleep too in the days leading up to the conclave, the pontiff-elect told Fr Tony.
A meeting with Pope Leo was planned shortly after Fr Tony arrived back in Rome in late July and regular contact looks likely, even if he has to join the queue.
Fr Tony said he expects the pontiff to address the spread of individualism and perhaps try to adopt a more collective outlook in its place. AI, social media and migration will also be on his ‘to review’ list.
He warned of making, or reading about, judgements on where Pope Leo XIV sits philosophically, saying much of how he has been painted comes from the American media where there is a tension between conservatives and progressives.
Fr Tony said he expected Pope Leo would draw heavily upon spirituality to address issues within the church and contemporary culture.
Anyone searching for clues might simply look at the previous pontiff with the same name, Pope Leo XIII, who was famous for his advocacy on social justice issues and workers’ rights in the late 19th century.
After all, Bob Prevost did not choose the name Leo by chance.
Leo XIV – An Apostle of Peace by Smauel Pruvot and Marc Leboucher is published by ATF Press (atfpress.com)
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