Cardinal Flyer

Father Francis Leo has spent his life blending deep scholarship with a profound devotion to faith.

In December, his unwavering commitment to the Catholic Church was honored as Pope Francis installed him as a cardinal. Leo earned his red hat during a ceremony known as a consistory in Vatican City.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this appointment from the Holy Father,” Leo said in an interview with the Catholic Review. “I entrust to the Blessed Mother Mary myself and this new ministry of service to the Universal Church and to the Successor of St. Peter, the Pope.”

Leo is one of just 21 others named cardinal in the world last year and the lone cardinal named from North America. Cardinals, also known as the “princes of the Church” are the highest rank below the pope in the Roman Catholic hierarchy.

Leo took classes on campus in the International Marian Research Institute program, a partnership between UD and the Marianium in Rome. He earned his Sacred Theological Licentiate in 2002 and his Sacred Theological Doctorate in 2004. He also taught at UD for IMRI for several years.

Since 2007, Leo has been a member of the Priestly Fraternities of Saint Dominic. He co-founded the Canadian Mariological Society in 2014 and served as Auxiliary Bishop of Montreal from September 2022 until 2023, when Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, where he served until he was appointed cardinal.

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A version of this article appears in print in the Spring 2025 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 54. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE