In an article published by the New York Post, TCA Senior Fellow Ashley McGuire outlines the pressing challenges that await the newly appointed Pope Leo as he takes the helm of the global Catholic Church. In the article titled, “Pope Leo XIV faces major challenges on finances, sex abuse and Catholic rules,” she writes:
“We have a new pope, but the challenges he faces are not.
Pope Francis fashioned himself as a reformer, starting with his name — taken in part from St. Francis of Assisi, who was tasked by God himself to “rebuild my church.”
The reforms most urgently needed when Francis assumed the papacy were a church in financial shambles and ongoing fallout from the sexual abuse crisis.
While he certainly made progress in some areas, no one denies that his work on both fronts was left incomplete…
….Pope Leo XIV inherits a Church that remains in urgent need of good governance. Which may very well be why he was chosen. America — while no exception to scandal — has a reputation for efficiency and rule of law, and the Catholic Church in America enjoys relative financial health.”
