Terence Sweeney

Hi, I'm Terence Sweeney. I'm a professor in the Honors Program and Humanities Department at Villanova University, which is, of note, the only Augustinian university in the United States. And we now have a very famous alum, the new Pope, Pope Leo, graduate of 1977, and delightfully a math major, continuing a kind of math and chemistry thing.

Hi, I'm Terence Sweeney. I'm a professor in the Honors Program and Humanities Department at Villanova University, which is, of note, the only Augustinian university in the United States. And we now have a very famous alum, the new Pope, Pope Leo, graduate of 1977, and delightfully a math major, continuing a kind of math and chemistry thing.

Hi, I'm Terence Sweeney. I'm a professor in the Honors Program and Humanities Department at Villanova University, which is, of note, the only Augustinian university in the United States. And we now have a very famous alum, the new Pope, Pope Leo, graduate of 1977, and delightfully a math major, continuing a kind of math and chemistry thing.

Pope Francis was a chemistry major as an undergrad, and Leo is a math major, which is great.

Pope Francis was a chemistry major as an undergrad, and Leo is a math major, which is great.

Pope Francis was a chemistry major as an undergrad, and Leo is a math major, which is great.

I was both surprised and not surprised. I've been talking about him with friends and students for the past couple weeks. Yesterday in the morning, I popped into the office of Father Allen, an Augustinian on campus, and I said, are we going to have an Augustinian pope? And he said he didn't think so. And sure enough, a few hours later...

I was both surprised and not surprised. I've been talking about him with friends and students for the past couple weeks. Yesterday in the morning, I popped into the office of Father Allen, an Augustinian on campus, and I said, are we going to have an Augustinian pope? And he said he didn't think so. And sure enough, a few hours later...

I was both surprised and not surprised. I've been talking about him with friends and students for the past couple weeks. Yesterday in the morning, I popped into the office of Father Allen, an Augustinian on campus, and I said, are we going to have an Augustinian pope? And he said he didn't think so. And sure enough, a few hours later...

I was watching the live stream, which apparently was lagging a little bit. And I found out who it was when I got a text message from my friend who said, you called it. But at the same time, I was very surprised. I was hopeful for him, but he's an American. And traditionally, that's, oh, it won't happen. I both kind of called it and was totally shocked.

I was watching the live stream, which apparently was lagging a little bit. And I found out who it was when I got a text message from my friend who said, you called it. But at the same time, I was very surprised. I was hopeful for him, but he's an American. And traditionally, that's, oh, it won't happen. I both kind of called it and was totally shocked.

I was watching the live stream, which apparently was lagging a little bit. And I found out who it was when I got a text message from my friend who said, you called it. But at the same time, I was very surprised. I was hopeful for him, but he's an American. And traditionally, that's, oh, it won't happen. I both kind of called it and was totally shocked.

Yeah, Prevost is a kid who grew up in Chicago, went to Villanova University, and there really encountered or continued his encounter with the Augustinians. He had met Augustinians as a young man and joined the order. And I think maybe most notably, then proceeded to spend most of his life as a priest and then a bishop. in the missions in Peru. He could have gotten assigned to Villanova.

Yeah, Prevost is a kid who grew up in Chicago, went to Villanova University, and there really encountered or continued his encounter with the Augustinians. He had met Augustinians as a young man and joined the order. And I think maybe most notably, then proceeded to spend most of his life as a priest and then a bishop. in the missions in Peru. He could have gotten assigned to Villanova.

Yeah, Prevost is a kid who grew up in Chicago, went to Villanova University, and there really encountered or continued his encounter with the Augustinians. He had met Augustinians as a young man and joined the order. And I think maybe most notably, then proceeded to spend most of his life as a priest and then a bishop. in the missions in Peru. He could have gotten assigned to Villanova.

He could have gotten assigned to a nice parish in a wealthier part of the United States. But instead, he went to Peru to be with the poor, to do work there, to do ministry there. And I think that's really, in many ways, the heart of who he is. You know, and you can think about, like, you know, I have a pretty cushy spot in Villanova. I have a house. It's, you know, comfortable.

He could have gotten assigned to a nice parish in a wealthier part of the United States. But instead, he went to Peru to be with the poor, to do work there, to do ministry there. And I think that's really, in many ways, the heart of who he is. You know, and you can think about, like, you know, I have a pretty cushy spot in Villanova. I have a house. It's, you know, comfortable.

He could have gotten assigned to a nice parish in a wealthier part of the United States. But instead, he went to Peru to be with the poor, to do work there, to do ministry there. And I think that's really, in many ways, the heart of who he is. You know, and you can think about, like, you know, I have a pretty cushy spot in Villanova. I have a house. It's, you know, comfortable.

To suddenly shift gears to a totally new culture, learning the language fully in a place that maybe doesn't have as many perks as an American suburban parish might, I think that's a real sign of wanting to be with those on the margins of global power and economics. But I don't think we've had a pope in... centuries who has had this experience of working in the missions.

To suddenly shift gears to a totally new culture, learning the language fully in a place that maybe doesn't have as many perks as an American suburban parish might, I think that's a real sign of wanting to be with those on the margins of global power and economics. But I don't think we've had a pope in... centuries who has had this experience of working in the missions.