In his first public appearance, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV sent a message of continuity not only with his immediate successor, Pope Francis, but also with other popes, too.

Appearing on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8, the first pontiff ever from the United States spoke of a “synodal Church” in his first address, signaling his intent to carry forward Francis’ signature reform effort to make the Catholic Church more inclusive and participatory.

“By electing Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, the cardinals are affirming their strong commitment to Pope Francis’ vision of spiritual renewal and structural reform and their hope that he’ll bring his management skills, Roman experience and humble heart to that effort,” said Kim Daniels, executive director of the Initiative for Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.

At the same time, the former prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops departed from his immediate predecessor in at least one notable way: He chose to wear the traditional papal regalia the late Pope Francis had eschewed when he stepped out onto the same balcony after his election in 2013.

“I’m grateful that Pope Leo XIV appeared on the loggia dressed as popes dress, with red mozetta, spoke many times of unity and that he prayed a Hail Mary,” noted Catholic author Michael Heinlein.

In addition to Pope Leo XIV’s choice of attire and words in his first public appearance, Stephen White, the executive director of The Catholic Project, suggested that the fact that the announcement that precedes the introduction of a new pope calls for “joy” before he is even known also gives important context for understanding his office.

“In these three things, we can see a continuity both with Pope Francis and with what came before Pope Francs,” White said. “And the continuity is found in the Risen Lord.”

Efforts to discern in what ways Pope Leo XIV will be similar to and different from his immediate predecessor will likely continue apace in the days and weeks to come before the new pope begins to make his own mark.

For instance, some have pointed out that the former prefect retweeted criticisms of Vice President JD Vance’s use of a theological concept called the ordo amoris (“order of love”) to defend the Trump administration’s immigration policies, an indication that Pope Leo XIV will likely continue Pope Francis’ focus on open immigration practices.

At the same time, some commentators noted that the new Pope did not choose the name John XXIV, Francis’ preferred name for his successor, which would have connected the new Pontiff with the pope who convened Vatican II. Nor did Pope Leo XIV choose Francis II or pick a never-before papal name like his predecessor had done, such as Augustine, the namesake of the religious order to which the new Pope belongs.

Instead, by picking Leo, the former-Cardinal Prevost put himself in continuity with a turn-of-the-20th-century pope famous for launching contemporary Catholic social teaching and transitioning the papacy into a global and spiritual ministry.

“Leo XIII invented the modern papacy. Leo XIV’s task will be to make that modern papacy into an instrument for converting,” said papal biographer George Weigel.

Commentators cautioned that there is still much to learn about the new Pope, who, at 69, is considerably younger than his immediate two successors and was only created a cardinal in 2023. As Heinlein noted, the last pope to have such limited experience as a cardinal before being elected to the papacy was Pius XI, who became pope in 1922 after having been a cardinal for only eight months.

However, what can certainly be said about Pope Leo XIV is that his papacy will be mold-breaking in at least one respect, as the Chicago native becomes the first U.S. native to hold the Petrine office.

An American as pope was widely seen to be unlikely, but Daniels suggests it’s an important gift for Catholics in the new Pope’s homeland.

“Pope Leo’s election is an extraordinary gift to the life of the U.S. Church,” she said. “He’s a leader with a missionary heart and just what we need at this moment.”

White, a fellow Windy City native, isn’t sure yet if Leo XIV grew up a mutual fan of the Cubs or of the crosstown White Sox. But even without knowing, he said the result of today’s papal election is still worth celebrating.

“We will get to know the man,” he said. “In the meantime, we have a pope! And that itself is cause for great rejoicing.”