Buddhistdoor View: Will the New Pope Continue to Build Bridges Between Catholics and Buddhists?

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Buddhistdoor View: Will the New Pope Continue to Build Bridges Between Catholics and Buddhists?

By Buddhistdoor Global
May 17, 2025

Pope Leo XIV addressed the world for the first time as pontiff on 8 May 2025, from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, calling for “a peace that is unarmed and disarming.” (ABC News) With this brief but evocative phrase, he signaled continuity with his predecessor, Pope Francis, while opening a new chapter for the Catholic Church and its engagement with the world’s faith traditions. For Buddhists, especially those attentive to global peacebuilding and interreligious cooperation, Pope Leo’s pontificate may offer new opportunities for meaningful dialogue and shared action.

Much like Pope Francis, whose 12-year papacy saw historic advances in interfaith engagement and social justice, Pope Leo inherits a Church navigating both internal reform and external relevance. But who is this new pope, and what might his background and values mean for Buddhists?

Pope Francis’ tenure left an indelible mark on Catholic-Buddhist relations. He famously embraced dialogue over dogma, extending compassion to refugees, the poor, and those living on the margins of society. His visit to Mongolia in 2023, where Catholics represent less than 0.05 per cent of the population, was emblematic of his global outreach and affirmed his conviction that the Catholic Church should operate with “a spirit of openness and in respectful consideration of what the other religious traditions have to offer.”* This sentiment resonated strongly with Buddhist values, particularly in regions such as Southeast Asia, where Catholics and Buddhists coexist in complex cultural landscapes.

Francis also took unprecedented steps in diplomacy and moral suasion. His co-signing of the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar led to the construction of the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi—an interfaith complex for Muslim, Christian, and Jewish worship. While Buddhists were not direct signatories, the symbolism of shared sacred space inspired many within our own communities who seek parallel paths of mutual respect.

For Buddhists, such efforts were not merely symbolic. The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue—now the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue—has maintained longstanding relationships with Buddhist communities across Asia, particularly in Japan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Under Pope Francis, these ties deepened, including high-level meetings with Buddhist monastics in Cambodia and Myanmar, and the release of multiple Vesak greetings that acknowledged the ethical commonalities between the traditions. In particular, the 2015 Vatican Vesak message called on the two faiths to come together to combat global slavery, to which BDG replied ardently: “The Catholic Church’s Vesak message deserves an enthusiastic affirmation and endorsement from the Buddhist community. Our sangha is not powerful enough to defeat slavery on its own. But by working together with the world’s religions, alongside the global faithful, we can help to accelerate its end.” (BDG)

From then, early in the pontificate of Francis, the bonds, aspirations, and mutual respect between the two religions continued to grow. This leaves large shoes for our current pope to fill.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, and later ministering for over two decades in Peru, comes to the papacy with a decidedly transnational identity. As a member of the Augustinian order—an order rooted in missionary work and pastoral presence—Pope Leo brings with him a deep sense of proximity to those on society’s periphery. His formation at the Catholic Theological Union, renowned for its interfaith emphasis, and his mentorship under Rev. John T. Pawlikowski, a pioneer in Jewish-Christian dialogue, suggest a foundation rooted in encounter and openness.

Although new to the Vatican’s inner workings—having been named a cardinal only in 2023, and serving briefly as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops—Pope Leo is no stranger to global pastoral challenges. His Creole heritage, multilingual background, and experience in Latin America position him to continue Pope Francis’ global orientation, perhaps with added attentiveness to the Global South and the historically colonized.

For Buddhists, especially in Latin American nations where Buddhism is very much a minority presence, Pope Leo’s appointment may signal renewed opportunities for inter-religious collaboration on climate justice, indigenous rights, and poverty alleviation.

As an Augustinian, Pope Leo is shaped by the theology of St. Augustine of Hippo, an African bishop whose teachings emphasize inner transformation, community, and the impermanence of earthly power. St. Augustine’s vision of the “City of God” is not dissimilar from the Buddhist ideal of creating an entirely new world of experience (Skt: loka) based on one’s intentions—a space cultivated through ethical living, wisdom, and compassion. The Buddhist theologian John Makransky, among others, has explored the fertile ground of overlaps and divergences between St. Augustine’s spiritual vision and that of various Buddhist thinkers.**

Moreover, St. Augustine’s African identity challenges Eurocentric assumptions about Christian origins. This subtle shift in consciousness—toward a Church whose roots include Africa and whose future leans southward—resonates with Buddhism’s own recentering of Asia in global spiritual discourse, even when that recentering has flowed through Western vessels.

It is likely no accident that Pope Leo’s inaugural address emphasized disarmament and peacebuilding. In echoing Pope Francis’ consistent critique of militarism and arms trading—an issue also at the heart of contemporary engaged Buddhism—Pope Leo aligns himself with a moral imperative that spans religious traditions. The words “no more war,” spoken just days later, extended that appeal to the world’s major powers, referencing conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and the India-Pakistan border. (BBC News)

Still, for all his promise, Pope Leo XIV remains an unknown quantity in many respects. Unlike his predecessor, who was often photographed embracing Buddhist monks and speaking directly to interfaith audiences, Pope Leo has not yet articulated a vision specific to Catholic-Buddhist relations. His lack of formal diplomatic experience may mean fewer grand gestures on the international stage, but this could also enable more grounded, pastoral initiatives.

In an era of resurgent nationalism, sectarianism, and ecological crisis, both Buddhists and Catholics face urgent calls to embody their highest teachings. Buddhists may find common cause with Pope Leo in defending religious freedom, advocating for the poor, and addressing the climate emergency. Collaborative forums, such as the encounters between Teresian mysticism and Buddhis traditions in interfaith dialogue, hosted in Avila, Spain, and drawing scholars from around the world, including several from Hong Kong, could find new energy under Pope Leo’s leadership.

Moreover, Pope Leo’s commitment to simplicity and pastoral care could resonate with Buddhist sanghas navigating modernization and institutional fatigue. As BDG’s Justin Whitaker noted in a 2020 feature on Buddhist and Christian practices for social harmony: “As our levels of material comfort increase, often so too do the walls around us, separating us from people who might disagree. And yet, the very practice of our traditions, when we ourselves step out of the noise of daily life, point us toward interconnectedness and deep concern for one another.”***

In many Buddhist traditions, the appearance of a new spiritual leader is met with a period of watchful patience. The same may be true for Pope Leo. His charisma may be quieter than that of Pope Francis, his gestures more measured, but that should not be mistaken for passivity. Like the stillness of a mountain lake that conceals depth and life beneath the surface, Pope Leo’s early messages suggest a pontificate inclined toward listening, healing, and bridge-building.

For Buddhists, especially those involved in interfaith initiatives or active in social justice causes, the invitation is clear: watch, engage, and meet this moment with curiosity and care.

As Pope Francis once said during his visit to Sri Lanka in 2015: “Genuine worship of God bears fruit not in discrimination, hatred, and violence, but in respect for the sacredness of life, respect for the dignity and freedom of others, and loving commitment to the welfare of all.” (The Guardian) Whether Pope Leo will echo such commitments explicitly in his own interfaith actions remains to be seen.

But as Buddhists committed to global well-being, we would do well to take the new pope’s words to heart. Let us seek “a peace that is unarmed and disarming.” That is a peace worthy of all traditions.

* Pope Francis Quotes the Buddha and Praises Interfaith Dialogue in Mongolia Visit (BDG)

** Buddhist Analogues of Sin and Grace: A Dialogue with Augustine (Academia)

*** From Buddhist and Christian Practices to Societal Harmony: A Conversation in Hong Kong (BDG)