In the exciting days after the election of Pope Leo XIV, media outlets around the world – secular and religious – desperately sought to discover some insights into the new Pope’s personality and character.
As a curious observer myself, one of the most striking images of Pope Leo XIV conjured up in my mind came from an article recalling a time when the then-Cardinal Prevost dined with friends at their home.
According to those friends, the Cardinal was “almost a human vacuum cleaner, sucking in everything you say and then reflecting it back with keen questions and insights”[i].
A human vacuum cleaner – what an image that is! In the context of the article, it essentially referred to the new Pope’s capacity to be an outstanding listener. He is also described by the same friends as a “down-to-earth and unassuming personality”, kind, considerate of others and respectful.
While most of us have only known our new Pope for a few short weeks, it’s already clear that he brings many unique gifts to the Church, in the same way that Pope Francis – and those before him – did.
Recently, the Bishops of Australia released a document on ‘charism’, which is described as follows:
“The word charism simply means ‘gift’. The word comes to us from St Paul, who used it to describe a certain type of gift that the Holy Spirit gives to us… such as healing, miracles, words of knowledge, and speaking in tongues, but… he also includes less dramatic gifts in these lists such as helps, encouragement, service, mercy, and administration”[ii].
The document explains how each person has their own unique gifts and charisms. Often, we don’t realise we have these charisms until we spend some time praying and reflecting upon how God works in our lives.
To this end, I invite you to ask yourself two questions, proposed by Pope Francis[iii]:
Is there a charism that the Lord has endowed me with, by the grace of his Spirit, and that my brothers and sisters in the Christian community have recognised and encouraged?
How do I act with regard to this gift: do I use it with generosity, placing it at the service of everyone, or do I overlook it and end up forgetting about it?
We all have gifts that we bring to our families, workplaces, communities and to the Church. When we take the time to prayerfully consider the above questions, these gifts will become clear, allowing us to share them with the world.
Further Reading
Gifted for the Mission: An Introduction to Charisms (Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, 2025)
The Gift of Charism (Evangelise Plus)
Image: Vatican Media
Words: Matthew Biddle
[i] John L. Allen Jr. ‘Guess who’s coming to dinner? The future pope!’ Crux, May 9, 2025.
[ii] Gifted for the Mission: An Introduction to Charisms (Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, 2025).
[iii] Pope Francis, General Audience, October 1, 2014.