By choosing the name Leo XIV, newly elected pope Robert Prevost is sending a signal about the direction he wants to take the Catholic Church, Anton de Wit, editor-in-chief of Katholiek Nieuwsblad has told broadcaster NOS.

“The last pope with that name, Leo XIII, was elected at a time of great upheaval,” De Wit said. “He responded to the rise of industrial capitalism and deepening poverty with a groundbreaking social message. Pope Leo XIV is now doing something similar — offering a faithful response to today’s ideological divides, with compassion at the centre.”

Leo XIV (69) is the first American to become head of the Roman Catholic Church, but spent more than a decade living and working in Peru, where he also became a citizen.

“He’s more Latin American than American,” said NOS Vatican correspondent Andrea Vreede. “He comes across as serious and warm, a real bridge-builder. His message was focused on peace and togetherness.”

The new pope’s background as a missionary, bishop and canon lawyer makes him well placed to continue the reforms launched by his predecessor, Francis, observers say. In 2023, Francis appointed him head of the powerful Vatican department responsible for naming bishops.

Dutch cardinal Wim Eijk, the only Dutch participant in the conclave in the Sistine Chapel, has told reporters he does not expect a major upheaval in the Catholic Church under pope Leo XIV.

“I think [Leo XIV] will simply continue along the path the previous pope was following,” said Eijk, who is also archbishop of Utrecht. Eijk described the new pope as “a pleasant man”. “He takes his time, he really listens. He is very proper and polite,” he told Trouw.

Paul van Geest, a professor of religious history at Tilburg University knows the new pope personally and said he is a “Francis 2.0″. “This is good for Catholics,” he told Trouw. “He will follow the same route as his predecessor… he is fit for the job.”

Some 17% of the Dutch identify as Catholics, making them the largest religious group in the country although 72% of them never or rarely go to church.