Veritatis splendor

• Prevost joined the Order of Saint Augustine in his early 20s. Named for the fourth-century theologian and bishop of Hippo in North Africa, the order focuses on unity of purpose, help for the poor, and a balance between contemplative prayer and missionary service.
• In 2001, Prevost became the head of the Order, overseeing around 50 communities around the world—meaning extensive global experience through Augustinian institutions, and a global understanding of the Church that goes beyond European or American perspectives.
• His Augustinian formation included theological studies in both the U.S. and Rome, followed by time teaching canon law at a seminary in Peru—where he was later, from 2013 to ‘25, the bishop of Chiclayo.
• In his first address, Leo XIV stressed Catholics’ role as “peacemakers and bridge-builders, in dialogue with other religious traditions and cultures,” saying, “Peace be with you all”—and emphasizing “a disarmed peace, a disarming peace.”
• His choice of the name Leo, meanwhile, appears connected to Pope Leo XIII, who wrote the groundbreaking 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum—also known as The Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour—centered on affirming the dignity and rights of workers in the wake of industrialization and balancing the defense of private property with a resistance to the excesses of both unfettered capitalism and socialism.

Altogether, the Augustinian aspects of Leo XIV’s profile suggest a papacy likely to prioritize active engagement with disadvantaged communities and practical service over theological isolation; balance doctrinal orthodoxy with pastoral flexibility; and emphasize ecumenical and interfaith outreach—all suggesting continuity with Pope Francis’s approach to the papacy. Still, it’s a question as to how he’ll balance these priorities with more traditional elements, as suggested by his choice to wear the customary red papal cape that Francis had dispensed with.

Curiously, the connection to Leo XIII isn’t the first among the major world leadership transitions of 2025: Rerum Novarum has apparently had a significant influence on the new prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney.

• Of Wednesday’s initial attack, India said it hit training camps and other sites connected to the Islamist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, alleging they’ve been freely operating from Pakistan. India has previously held these groups responsible for some of the deadliest terror attacks in the country’s history.
• Pakistan says the bombings killed 31 and wounded 57, including several children, denying there are any terrorist camps or infrastructure at or near the sites struck.
• Indian officials say Pakistan fired some 400 missile and drone strikes at India and Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday, though India was able to intercept them all. Pakistan denies firing any weapons then, though residents in Kashmir reported hearing several explosions.
• The ceasefire took effect at 5:00 p.m. Indian Standard Time (11:30 a.m. GMT). Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed it, while emphasizing his country’s commitment to “peace and security in the region.”
• Different narratives are now competing with one another about the role of international mediators; U.S. President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire as the result of “a long night of talks mediated by the United States”; Indian sources claim the agreement was worked out directly between India and Pakistan. A source in the Pakistani government indicated to CNN’s Nic Robertson in Islamabad that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a “monumental role” in negotiations. Saudi Arabian and Turkish officials were also reportedly involved.

Both India and Pakistan were apparently shocked by the scale of each other’s responses. As diplomacy should resume between them at the start of the week, a key complication is the significant domestic political pressure both countries’ leaderships came under to use emphatic force in a conflict that escalated rapidly. Millions in each of the two feel deep antipathy toward those in the other: It’s a hostility grounded in religious and nationalist identities. It goes back even before 1947, when the two split into modern India and Pakistan. And although this antipathy has changed shape since, it remains powerful today—and always potentially influential on the countries’ political leaderships.

• Most analysts attribute Labor’s come-from-behind win to the unpopularity of U.S. President Donald Trump in Australia. Coalition leader Peter Dutton styled himself somewhat after Trump—notably denouncing “wokeness.” Some Coalition candidates even wore MAGA hats while campaigning.
• Dutton tried to move away from some Trump-like policy positions once his party started losing popularity, but it didn’t help: He lost his own seat in a historically conservative district.
• Polls showed voters were most concerned with the cost of living, and many said they saw Trump’s tariffs as raising costs. Albanese focused his campaign on affordability—hardly ever mentioning Trump.
• Labor’s final margin of victory was huge: This was the first time any party won 90 seats and the second-highest number of seats any governing coalition has ever won in Australian national elections.
• The win also broke with the domestic—and global—historical trend toward voting out incumbent parties: For 21 years, no Australian incumbent party has won re-election.

It appears dislike for Trump globally is harming the electoral performance of right-wing parties in Western countries, in Australia as, recently, in Canada. On April 28, the Liberal Party decisively won Canada’s national elections, while the Conservatives’ leader, Pierre Poilievre, lost his own seat.

And yet the populist forces that helped Trump win two presidential elections are still strong, as voters showed last week in local U.K. elections and the first round of Romania’s presidential election, where candidates from the populist right scored big successes. The winner in Romania’s first round, George Simion, is favored to win the runoff on May 18. With apparent pride, Simion calls his party “Trumpist” and wears red baseball caps in the MAGA style. It’s too soon to know what effects the newer, anti-Trump trend will have versus the more established trend favoring parties of the populist right, which has been developing for years.