Inside the Core: Reflecting on Cardinal Tobin's Talk

Inside the Core is inspired by the talk given by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, on “Pope Leo and the Legacy of Pope Francis,” last Wednesday, March 18 in the University Center. The talk was co-sponsored by Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, the Catholic Studies Program, and the Catholic Studies Center.

The Cardinal gave a wonderful and personal view of both the current and former Holy Father. He got to know Pope Leo when he was Father Prevost, then prior general of the Augustinian Order, and Cardinal Tobin was the superior general of the Redemptorists. In their capacity as heads of religious congregations, they interacted. He also knew Pope Francis, who appointed him Cardinal in 2016, prior to his election to the papacy, when Cardinal Tobin’s mother picked him as her candidate (because, as Cardinal Tobin told Francis, he carried his own bags, etc.). Francis enjoyed the comment and would refer to it.

His talk gave a deep sense of how Francis’ legacy is being carried on by Leo. Though different in personality and in style, the two share the same core values, seeking to bring them to fruition in the church. These values can be summed up as mercy (in connection with evangelization and peace), concern for the environment and synodality. Cardinal Tobin spoke of how Francis loved mercy, making it part of his papal motto, Miserando atque eligendo, “By having mercy and by choosing him,” referring to the calling of Matthew, the tax collector, as spoken of by Bede the Venerable in a sermon on Matthew 9:9–13. Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium returns again and again to the concept of mercy, which he saw as central to the Gospel and to evangelization. Cardinal Tobin mentioned how mercy is crucial to the message the church needs to convey to the world, subsuming or, as Jesus put it, fulfilling the Law. We are saved by grace, through God’s mercy, from which and through which God’s love flows. We do not save ourselves. The Cardinal said, “Mercy was Pope Francis’ fire.”  

Pope Leo has consistently lived out the vision of Francis on mercy, seen particularly in this focus on peace in the world and concern for the marginalized, and perhaps in particular, refugees and migrants. Mercy received must be given outwardly to those in need, to those suffering. We see this focus strongly in Leo, as we did also in Francis. Cardinal Tobin mentioned, for example, how both Francis and Leo were interested in going to Lampedusa, the island in the Mediterranean where many migrants land on the way to Europe from Africa and where the surrounding seas have been the site of many migrant deaths by drowning. Pope Francis made it the destination of his first trip, circumventing the Vatican system of arranging travel, which slightly discouraged him from going to Lampedusa, by arranging it himself. In fact, the Vatican got a call from Alitalia saying, “Someone named Jorge Bergoglio just purchased a ticket to Lampedusa. Do you know about this?” Leo also plans to go to Lampedusa, turning down an invitation to the United States on July 4, 2026, because of his plans to go to the island and show support for the refugees who are staying there. The Cardinal pointed out the significance of the date and the choice.

Second, Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home (2015), was ground-breaking in its focus on care for the environment as a religious duty. Though Francis was not the first pope to emphasize this idea (as John Paul II and Benedict both emphasized concern for the environment), Francis was the first to write about it in an encyclical. Hearkening back to St. Francis and to Genesis, he focused on the environment as a gift from a loving Creator, demanding our respect and nurturing care. Leo has continued to emphasize this focus, with his statements (such as asking believers to pray for the conversion of climate deniers) and actions (making parts of the gardens around Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence, into areas for ecological protection and training centers).

Cardinal Tobin mentioned the concept of synodality as a crucial value shared by both popes. Francis fully embraced the idea of the members of the church sharing their ideas and moving forward together. The Synod on Synodality, convened by Pope Francis in 2023 and concluding in October of 2024, was a very important development for the church under Pope Francis. Cardinal Tobin mentioned how laypeople were involved in the Synod, much more than they were in similar kinds of gatherings in the past, and how Francis valued the contributions of all the members participating. The Cardinal said normally after this type of gathering, the Pope would go over the proceedings and decide to confirm them or not. In this case, Francis said he did not need to do this but was sure the Holy Spirit had been working in the Synod. In fact, as Cardinal Tobin remarked, Francis would say, “No one is saved alone.” Francis died within about six months of the Synod, and synodality is a very important component of his legacy.

In his turn, Leo strongly supports synodality. According to Vatican News, June 26, 2025, Pope Leo said regarding Francis and the synod: “The legacy he has left us, in my view, is above all this: that synodality is a style, an attitude that helps us to be Church by promoting authentic experiences of participation and communion.” The Cardinal made the point that “synodality indicates a way of listening to each individual person as a member of the church to understand how God might be speaking to all of us.” He went on to say, “The day after he was elected, Pope Leo began by saying synodality is the way forward for the church.”

Cardinal Tobin cautioned people from judging either pope superficially. For example, he mentioned how much was made on social media of Leo’s choice to wear a more traditional garment upon his election. But how important is this kind of thing? For the important things, the Cardinal advised avoiding blogs when it comes to understanding any of the popes and strongly suggested: “Please read what they actually said. It's not hard to find.” He also noted that Leo said “to the council on which I sit which oversees a lot of it… the reform [which was] begun by Pope Francis must continue.” This kind of statement would is much more important than some of the superficial items used to pigeonhole either of the popes.

Finally, The Core enjoyed Cardinal Tobin’s personal and loving approach to both Holy Fathers, Francis and Leo. He shared how Francis would rise at 4 a.m. and pray for two hours before the Blessed Sacrament before saying Mass at 6 a.m. As for Leo, he mentioned that he believed, prior to his election, then Cardinal Prevost, like other American Cardinals, thought being an American “was a shield” against being chosen for the papacy. But he also mentioned how Pope Leo’s international background as both a missionary and citizen of Peru and acquaintance with bishops from around the world have helped him to go beyond being limited by one nationality. 

The audience was focused, in fact riveted, on the talk and, afterward, several good questions were raised and answered by the Cardinal. The event was followed by Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Tobin and concelebrated by many Seton Hall priests and attended by many. We all felt grateful to have Cardinal Tobin visit Seton Hall and share his experience with two Holy Fathers and his own spiritual wisdom with all of us.

The talk was livestreamed and is available on Seton Hall’s YouTube Channel.

Categories: Faith and Service