Demystifying and humanizing Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV is the sixth pope I have known throughout my life. Thanks to social media, and to his being the first American Pope, he could well become the most well-known Pope of the modern era. Social media posts on the new Pope have proliferated on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, giving the world a vivid view of his daily activities.

- ENDEAVOR SONNY COLOMA

Pope John XXIII was the first Pope I ever knew, after I received my first Holy Communion in 1960, as a seven-year-old grade two student in St. Mary's Academy, Pasay City. He became Pope in October 1958 when I was in kindergarten. By the time I was in grade five in Don Bosco Makati, I had learned how to be a sacristan or altar boy. After he passed away in 1963, he was succeeded by Pope Paul VI, who reigned until 1978. By then, I was already working and had earned an MBA degree.

Albino Luciani was the first Pope to be born in the 20th century. His papacy began on August 26, 1978, and ended when he died on September 28, 1978, or only 33 days later. His successor, the Polish prelate Karol Wojtyla, served as Pope John Paul II for 27 years. After him came Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, a noted theologian who advocated a return to fundamental Christian values at a time of increasing secularization. Citing the fragility of his health, he resigned and opted to be a Pope emeritus on February 28, 2013, paving the way for the election of Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina as Pope Francis on March 13, 2013.