VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Almost one year after Pope Francis made his final public appearance on Easter, Pope Leo XIV is approaching his first celebration of the feast as pontiff — a moment that offers a more defining glimpse into a papacy focused on unity, peace and social justice.

While Leo’s first year has largely implied continuity with Francis, analysis of his leadership style highlights his willingness to empower clergy and delegate authority.

On Holy Thursday (April 2), which commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, Leo departed from one of Francis’ most symbolic gestures. In past years, Francis used the washing of the feet ceremony to highlight marginalized groups — including prisoners, migrants and women — underscoring his outreach to those living on the peripheries of society.

This year, though, Leo washed the feet of 12 priests from the Diocese of Rome at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. The move reflects both a return to tradition — Benedict XVI, who was succeeded by Francis, was the last pope to wash the feet of diocesan priests in Rome — but also his focus on empowering clergy and promoting a more missionary role for priests.

“The great missionaries bear witnesses to quiet, unobtrusive approaches, whose method is the sharing of life, selfless service, the renunciation of any calculated strategy, dialogue and respect,” Leo said during the Chrism Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday, as priests renewed the promises made during their ordination.

Leo’s style of governance is becoming visible in balancing continuity and reform. Breaking with Francis, who chose to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican as a sign of simplicity, Leo has returned to the Apostolic Palace.

The move last month came as senior Vatican officials, who handed in their resignations after Francis’ death, are awaiting confirmation or replacement. Leo’s recent reshuffling of top Vatican posts suggests a preference for experienced curial officials, while also elevating a cohort of English-speaking prelates known for their efficiency and pragmatism. It also reflects Leo’s own experience heading the powerful Vatican department overseeing bishops before becoming pope, and his efficiency-driven style of governance.

Leo tapped Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, a seasoned Vatican diplomat with deep curial experience, as substitute for general affairs at the Vatican Secretariat of State — the third-highest-ranking position at the Vatican. But Leo also pulled in policy specialists from the United States, including immigrant advocate Dylan Corbett, to the Vatican department for Integral Human Development, the Vatican’s social doctrine-focused office.

As a member of the Augustinian order, Leo has also shown a more collaborative approach to leadership. Unlike the more centralized and mission-driven structure of the Society of Jesus, to which Francis belonged, the Augustinian tradition places a strong emphasis on community life and shared responsibility.

And no department within the Vatican has been more empowered by Leo than the Secretariat of State. Weakened by scandals and a preference for informal diplomacy lines under Francis, it is now taking center stage in the Vatican’s messaging on politics and social issues. 

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has become increasingly active both publicly and behind the scenes. He was among the main architects in proposing a nonviolent exit for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — before the U.S. military operation captured him on Jan. 3. Parolin also negotiated the Holy See’s decision not to join President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and recently met with the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See to discuss disruptions in Holy Week celebrations in the Holy Land.

The topic of peace has been a recurring issue for this pontificate, especially in the days leading up to Easter. Asked by CNN on Tuesday about whether he had a message for U.S. and Israeli leaders regarding the war in Iran, Leo said he hoped Trump was “looking for an off-ramp” to stop the violence and the war. The pope also called for a truce to the war during the Easter celebrations.

In his Easter address to faithful and nonfaithful all over the world, called Urbi et Orbi, Leo is expected to once again turn his gaze outward and address the many conflicts — including those in the Holy Land and in Ukraine — that are tearing at the world today.

The pope will then pick up his stride immediately after the Easter celebrations, publishing his first encyclical and embarking on a major trip to the African countries of Algeria, Angola, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

The encyclical is expected to address the world’s rapidly changing economic and technological landscape, including the rise of artificial intelligence, offering a Catholic perspective on the dignity of humans and the protection of workers, people and the environment. Leo has said he chose his name in honor of Pope Leo XIII, who was known for his 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum” (On New Things), which addressed inequality and the working class, and laid the groundwork of Catholic social justice movements.

The papal trip to Africa, scheduled for April 13-23, will be a chance for Leo to pay homage to his Augustinian roots while also addressing exploitation of natural resources and communities in those countries.

And as a relatively young and physically active pontiff, at 70, Leo will be the first pope to carry the cross himself across the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome on Friday. Regarding his decision for carrying out the tradition, “It will be an important sign because of what the pope represents: a spiritual leader in today’s world, a voice to say that Christ still suffers,” Leo told Vatican journalists. “And I carry all these sufferings in my prayers as well.”