Did you know that Popes Leo XIV and Benedict XVI both have ties to the Augustinian charism?
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PopeLeoXIV,likehispredecessorPopeFrancis,isapopeofnotablefirsts.
FormerlyRobertCardinalPrevost,OSA,PopeLeoXIVisthefirstpopefromtheUnitedStates,thefirstfromNorthAmerica,thefirsttohavePeruviancitizenship,andthefirstfromtheAugustinianOrder.
PerhapstheAugustiniancharismhasprofoundlyshapedhislife,includingtheseearlydaysofhispapacy.
However,theinfluenceofSaintAugustineofHippo,thefourth-centurybishopandDoctoroftheChurch,isnotuniquetoPopeLeoamongrecentpopes.
PopeBenedictXVI,whilenotamemberoftheAugustinians,alsoshareswithPopeLeoalifeandministryshapedbySaintAugustine. BothPopeLeoandPopeBenedictcompletedtheirdoctoralworkonSaintAugustineasyoungpriests.
Thethen-FatherRobertPrevost,acanonlawstudentinRome,defendedhisdoctoralthesisin1987,discussingtheroleoflocalpriorsintheAugustinianorderbasedonAugustine’smonasticrule.
PopeBenedict,asFatherJosephRatzinger,completedhistheologydoctoratein1953inGermanywithadissertation
