What Do Protestants Need in the Next Pope?
By Case Thorp
(A version of this article originally appeared in the Orlando Sentinel on May 22, 2025)
As a boy, I once told my mother that I wanted to grow up to be either the pope or a mud wrestler. She replied dryly that since I was not born Catholic, but American, mud wrestling was likely to be my future. She is right about a lot, but we now know she got this one wrong.
Despite my Protestant convictions, I hold deep respect for the role the Pope occupies within global Christianity. His influence in the public square is both moral and spiritual, often serving as the conscience of the faith before a watching world. For all the prominence of figures like Billy Graham or Rick Warren, no Protestant leader carries the singular, global authority and visibility of the Bishop of Rome.
As Pope Leo XIV moves in to the Apostolic Palace, I find myself reflecting on a sincere question: What do Protestants hope for in the next pope?
First, we need a Vicar of Christ in the spirit of Pope John Paul II. He wielded his influence with conviction, using the papal platform to stand against atheistic totalitarianism. His moral clarity and resolve helped dismantle communism’s grip across Eastern Europe, creating space for evangelism and spiritual renewal. Many Protestants, myself included, are grateful for the legacy of gospel opportunity his leadership helped secure behind the Iron Curtain.
Second, we need a man of reform and integrity—someone with the moral courage to confront and resolve the long-standing crises of abuse and financial corruption within the Church’s hierarchy. As a Protestant, I grieve to the point of anger how the moral failures of clergy within the Roman Catholic Church, notably the sexual and financial scandals, have caused the broader public to distrust Christian leaders of all traditions. The Reforming Popes of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, beginning with Leo IX and culminating with Innocent III, addressed the ecclesial crises of their day. They tackled the scandal of simony, centralized papal authority to restore credibility, enforced clerical celibacy, and clarified the election process for the papacy. We are long past the time for deep reform, and need a reforming pope with the zeal of his predecessors.
Third, Protestants would benefit from a pope who possesses both doctrinal clarity and compassionate vision. Pope Benedict XVI exemplified theological precision, which helped unite the global church in teaching and witness. Pope Francis, in turn, showed remarkable humility, care for the marginalized, and courage in speaking truth to power. Together, their strengths offer a model for a pope who can shepherd with both mind and heart—faithful to doctrine and fearless in love.
Lastly, and most importantly to us, Protestants long for a pope with the ecumenical heart of Pope John XXIII. Though our confessions and church orders differ, we share the same mission to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. We yearn for a global Christian witness marked not by division, but by mutual love and cooperative mission. In the spirit of John 17, where Jesus prayed that His followers would be one so that the world might believe, Protestants pray for unity—not uniformity, but unity in Christ.
May Pope Leo XIV be such a man. And may he lead not only Catholics, but all who call upon the name of Jesus, toward greater faithfulness in love, justice, and gospel witness to the world. Let it be so.
