- 19 May, 2025
Vatican, May 19, 2025: The Augustinian Bishop, Luis Marín de San Martín, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod, felt a special emotion last May 8, when he heard the name of the new Pope. For the sixty-four-year-old prelate from Madrid, Leo XIV is a friend, a brother, a companion on the journey. He knows his values, his commitment, his sensibilities and his style of government perfectly. In fact, Monsignor Marín came to Rome in 2008, at the request of Robert Francis Prevost, then Prior General of the Augustinians, to take care of the General Archives of the order and participate in various commissions of the Augustinian Curia.
For five years they shared the same house, being part of the same community in Rome, seeing each other every day, which allowed them to deepen their friendship. When Prevost's commitments took him to other parts of the world, they remained in contact. During his episcopal ministry in Chiclayo, the current Pontiff called Marín to Peru on several occasions, entrusting him with the formation of the clergy.
The latter shared key moments and stages of the life and ministry of the new Pope. In this interview with Vatican media, the Spanish bishop offers valuable keys to understanding the pontificate that is beginning and the intellectual, spiritual and pastoral baggage of Leo XIV.
The newly elected Pope presented himself as a "son of St. Augustine." What imprint does being an Augustinian leave? What Augustinian traits will we see in his pontificate?
Last May 13, when he came to celebrate the Eucharist in our house and to have lunch with us, he spoke very beautiful words: "I will have to give up many things, my life has changed, but I will never give up being an Augustinian." Those words deeply moved me. For us, the fulcrum that holds everything together is the community, understood as communion. This is where the Pope's insistence on communion, on unity, comes from. We understand community not only as living together under the same roof or working together, but, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, as having one heart and one soul on the journey toward God. This is the common thread that ties everything together.
What other traits can be placed in this Augustinian perspective?
Interiority, a deep life of prayer, a personal encounter with the Lord. And, at the same time, presence in the world. Augustinian spirituality is not a spirituality of separation or absence, but of presence. There are other spiritualities, different from ours, equally beautiful and important, but we Augustinians are called to go out into the world, to evangelize, to be in the world, alongside people, especially with a particular sensitivity towards the poorest, towards social issues, in the fight for justice, for peace. We are also characterized by love for the Church. Augustinians are open to every form of apostolate, ready to do what the Church asks of them. This is why we have parishes, universities, hospitals, prison ministry, missions.
What were the first signs of Leo XIV that allow us to glimpse the priorities of his pontificate?
We find them already in the very name chosen that recalls Leo XIII, a Pope who knew how to read the signs of the times. Times change, and today they do so at an impressive speed. It is not a question, therefore, of responding to challenges that perhaps no longer exist, or of continuing to live in a world that has now passed away. It is essential to understand what the challenges of our time are. Furthermore, Pope Pecci initiated the Social Doctrine of the Church, with a marked sensitivity towards the most disadvantaged and towards the world of work. Alongside this, we see in him a strong insistence on peace. He always works in a spirit of communion, creating bonds, integrating, never starting from comparison or conflict. He is a person who builds bridges. He always has been: as a religious, bishop and cardinal he has tried to unify and integrate. He is a man of God for our time.
How do you think Prevost's pastoral experience in Peru has shaped his vision of the Church's mission today?
His missionary spirit has its roots in several sources. The first is his family, always very involved in parish life and the Christian community. Another source lies in Augustinian spirituality, which is a spirituality of mission, of testimony, of going out. And, thirdly, his personal experience. He left for the missions at a very young age, serving for many years as a trainer of Augustinian priests in Chulucanas, Peru. That period was particularly significant. He has always cultivated a strong missionary sensitivity. Later he moved to Chiclayo. Although he was born in the United States, he spent most of his life outside of North America. He is not someone who stays at home: he is someone who leaves, who goes to other cultures, to the point of assimilating and integrating perfectly into the culture in which he finds himself living.
How would you interpret his style of episcopal government in Chiclayo and also during his mandate as prior of the Augustinians? What traits of that style could be reflected in his way of governing the universal Church?
He is a man with very clear ideas. He has the mentality of a mathematician and a canonist. He is extremely orderly, tireless in his work, thoughtful. He never makes decisions lightly. He meditates, reflects and prays. He is a person who, faithful to the Augustinian style, always works in a team. This is the environment in which he was formed and has always lived. His style of government has always been marked by a great ability to listen. He is a man who knows how to listen, he listens a lot and listens to different opinions. This does not mean that he agrees with all of them, but he listens to them and dialogues. He knows how to govern. He makes decisions, but always in a dialogic style. This is what he has always done in his life. In Chiclayo he encouraged great participation, he promoted synodality, the co-responsibility of all, the active participation of the entire community.
One of the keys to understanding touched upon in your first speech was synodality. How have you lived and applied it up to now?
He is a deeply synodal man. But he does not practice political synodality, but rather ecclesial synodality. And it is not just a theoretical synodality, but also a practical, concrete one, which must be embodied in the life, structures and style of the Church. In his diocese he has promoted courses on synodality from the beginning to explain its meaning and has always been actively involved in synodal processes. And he will continue to develop it.
What role will Leo XIV assign to the laity, in light of his experience?
The role that corresponds to them in that synodal perspective that arises from communion and that takes the form of a differentiated co-responsibility. We must not expect him to clericalize the laity, nor to secularize the clergy. Each according to his own mission. Therefore, starting from the equality of all in baptism, recognizing that it is baptism that makes us members of Christ. We form a unity: there are no better or worse. But we must respect the diversity of vocations, charisms, ministries. It would be absurd for a bishop to want to serve the Church as a lay person, or for a lay person to want to do so as a priest. Each according to his own vocation, according to the mission to which he has been called. Another important aspect, which the Pope will continue to cultivate as he has always done, is to interconnect all these different vocations, charisms and ministries. It is necessary to enter into relationships, help each other, interconnect, enlighten each other, walk together. This interconnectedness between all members of the Church represents a challenge, but he comes well prepared, having paid great attention to it throughout his life.
Robert Francis Prevost played a significant role in the Peruvian Episcopal Conference in promoting the Commission for the Protection of Minors. Does the issue of abuse worry him? Is it a priority for him?
It is a subject that deeply concerns him and on which he has been very clear from the beginning. His personal history confirms this. It is also worth highlighting the recent statements of the current bishop of Chiclayo and the Episcopal Conference of Peru on this issue. There is no doubt. He has always been by the victims' side. Always. And he has scrupulously respected all the protocols. His way of proceeding has been irreproachable. He was one of the few who has always remained by the victims' side, from the very first moment. The victims themselves have emphasized this: "He has always been by our side"; he was one of the few who knew how to accompany them from the very beginning. Thanks to him, justice has been done.
Do you think he will continue in the footsteps of his predecessor, Pope Francis?
I like to use the expression "continuity in discontinuity". It was Francis who discovered the brilliant and rich personality of Robert Francis Prevost. He appointed him bishop of Chiclayo, called him to Rome as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, created him cardinal, received him frequently... He is a man of Francis. He shares this line. Both are children of the Second Vatican Council . There is continuity in all these processes of renewal of a synodal, missionary, outgoing Church, the Church of mercy, the Church that invokes peace and is committed to peace in the world, the Church of co-responsibility. There is continuity, but in discontinuity. He is not a photocopy: he has his own style. He will be a great leader in the world. His voice will be heard. He will be an authoritative voice in this world so in need of figures who are true points of reference.
Courtesy: Vatican Media
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