'Not easy to dismiss' Pope confounds the conservatives with quietly radical agenda

When King Charles meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican tomorrow, they are likely to discuss global problems as well as share a historic moment of prayer.

- Harriet Sherwood

Above, Pope Francis meets Donald Trump. Top, Raymond Burke, who is a prominent conservative cardinal

In the face of volatility and rising nationalism, the first North American to lead the Roman Catholic church has begun to outline the contours of his papacy after a low-key start.

For conservative Catholics who hoped he would represent a break with the policies and priorities of his immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, the signs are not good.

"It’s been made quite clear in recent weeks that Leo, substantively, is of the same mould as Francis," said Christopher White, the author of Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy.

"They have very different styles," added the senior fellow of Georgetown University in Washington DC. "Francis was unscripted, spontaneous. Leo is cautious and careful in the way he speaks and acts.

"But I think they both view the church as what Francis described as a field hospital that has to tend to the most marginalised, particularly the poor."