As he’s joyfully shared in several interviews, Fr. Mark Francis, CSV was seminary classmates with Pope Leo XIV at Catholic Theological Union and a peer during their concurrent terms in Rome as superiors for their congregations. After several brief interviews with secular media, the Jesuitical podcast from America Media hosted Fr. Francis for a more in-depth conversation.
On Jesuitical, hosts Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis talked with Fr. Francis more expansively about these key periods in Pope Leo XIV’s religious life and built out a broader context for how these experiences may inform his papacy. Here’s a few highlights from the first few minutes of the interview.
On the character of formation at CTU: “We were in a theological reflection group together our first year, which helped us get to know each other pretty well. We’d bring back to the group what we were doing ministerially during the week and ask that basic question, ‘Where is God in all of this?’”
On their time in Rome: “There were two times a year in Rome when the Superiors General would meet, and I’d at least see him at those meetings. There were also several times when, just by chance, we took the same flight back and forth from Chicago. So there we were with an eight-hour flight and a chance to catch up then, too.”
On serving as Superiors General: “The Superior General is the person trying to keep all the disparate parts of the international communities together – keep communications between them and ensure they’re focusing on the mission of the community. In Bob’s case, he spent those twelve years visiting Asia, North Africa, and Latin America and getting a real background in terms of the international spread of the Church and the Augustinian charism’s inculturation in various countries.”
Hear more from Fr. Francis, Ashley, and Zac about the strength of being multilingual, how to be both pastor and a governing leader, and how Pope Leo XIV will likely be a model of patience and listening. Fr. Francis’ interview airs at the 16:45 mark of the May 22, 2025 episode, though we invite you to listen to the whole episode.
Jesuitical is a podcast for young Catholics, hosted by two young, lay editors at America Media. Each episode features a guest with unique perspective on faith, culture, or current events and well as top Catholic news from the week and reflections on finding God in all things. Listen and follow the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, join the Jesuitical group on Facebook, or join the Jesuitical community on Patreon. You can enjoy the nearly 400-episode archive and add to their 4.8/5 rating from nearly 1,000 Apple reviews.