--- --- Apr 15, 2026 # Pope Leo XIV by [Martin Scorsese](/author/martin-scorsese/) ## Martin Scorsese  Yara Nardi—Reuters The election of [Pope Francis](https://time.com/7283867/pope-leo-challenges-diversity-globalization/ "undefined"), a man I came to know and love as a friend, marked a turning point in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Pope born outside of Europe since the Middle Ages and the first Jesuit. [Pope Leo XIV](https://time.com/7288305/history-pope-leo-xiv-name/ "undefined") is the first North American–born Pope (with a Chicago accent!) and the first Augustinian in 500 years. I’m struck by his bravery and his [common touch](https://time.com/collections/time100-ai-2025/7305807/pope-leo-xiv/ "undefined"). And he seems to share Francis’ understanding that the church needs to reform itself to retain its moral and spiritual force. For many, the church has lost a great deal of moral and spiritual credibility. Revelations of widespread sexual abuse and financial wrongdoing keep coming up, and many Christians have grown more secular over the years. The church is at a crossroads, and it may once again be remaking itself. Pope Francis always stressed that the church was not a building or a symbol but the actual teachings of Jesus. I believe that Pope Leo shares that view. Like Francis, he seems to be committed to giving the laity a more active role in the leadership of the faith and the practice of charity. Pope Leo recently wrote the introduction to a new edition of _The Practice of the Presence of God,_ written by 17th century French Carmelite friar Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. I know the book well. A friend gave me a copy a few years ago, and I’ve since passed it along to many others. It offers a model for finding God in daily life, and for taking the church out of buildings, no matter how majestic, and into everyday existence. “All Christian ethics,” writes Pope Leo, “can truly be summed up in this continual calling to mind the fact that God is present: He is here.” I’m encouraged by his words. _Scorsese is an Oscar-winning filmmaker_ Pope Leo XIV Is on the 2026 TIME100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/pope-leo-xiv/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/pope-leo-xiv/"},"headline":"Pope Leo XIV","datePublished":"2026-04-15T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:21:52.182Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/pope-leo-xiv/","keywords":["TIME 100","list","franchise","Accolades"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ff69fa0a862e667/69d7cf5a611b7019b8032b1a/T100-2026-Web-Pope-Leo-XIV.JPG?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675%2Coffset-x0.00%2Coffset-y0.00&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Martin Scorsese","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/martin-scorsese/"}],"creator":"Martin Scorsese","articleSection":"TIME100","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ff69fa0a862e667/69d7cf5a611b7019b8032b1a/T100-2026-Web-Pope-Leo-XIV.JPG?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675%2Coffset-x0.00%2Coffset-y0.00&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/time100/","name":"TIME100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/pope-leo-xiv/","name":"Pope Leo XIV"}}]}] ```