91福利导航

Thomas Groome
Professor, Clough School of Theology and Ministry

The pope鈥檚 decision to take the name 鈥淟eo鈥� is an indication not only that he will focus on concern for the poor but on the social structures that cause people to be poor. That was the basis of Leo XIII鈥檚 Rerum Novarum: feeding hungry people while at the same time pushing beyond to challenge that which causes them to be hungry. Leo (XIII) also was very big on the rights of workers to a fair wage, decent working conditions, worker safety, etc. This all helped to offset the appeal of Marxism at the time.

While Leo XIV does have some important links to Pope Francis鈥攚ho appointed him to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and to the senior rank of cardinals鈥攊t鈥檚 important to note their different backgrounds and experiences. Still, at his core, Leo will continue the papacy of Francis and especially its social commitments: compassion and justice for all, care for the environment, and so on. This is why Francis favored and promoted him; in hindsight, you could say he was Francis鈥檚 number one choice.

The Church had a significant 鈥渁nti-Francis鈥� element to it, which will probably be just as unhappy with Leo. Maybe, however, he will persuade many and make clear that the Church is not going to go backwards but will continue to implement the reforms originated by Vatican II.

The most immediate priorities and challenges for Leo? To bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage people to live the values of God鈥檚 reign as taught and incarnated by Jesus.
Although he grew up in Chicago and was an undergraduate at Villanova, Leo will be much more than an 鈥淎merican鈥� pope. All of his multiple assignments outside of the United States make him more 鈥淧an American鈥濃�攅ven while he continues to be a White Sox fan.

Kristin E. Heyer
Joseph Chair in Theology

In the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, we find early indications of continuity with Francis鈥檚 commitments to dialogue, pastoral accompaniment, and the marginalized. From his opening remarks as pontiff, his accents on peace and bridge-building were particularly promising for our world wounded by violence and division. Briefly breaking from Italian to address his 鈥渜uerida鈥� diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, where he worked as an Augustinian missionary and later as bishop, was a moving sign of that community鈥檚 enduring significance to him and his model of leadership. He closed by signaling clear commitments to Pope Francis鈥檚 synodal Church and proximity to 鈥渢hose who are suffering.鈥� After appointing so many cardinals from the Global South, it is striking that Francis鈥檚 successor hails from the United States. It is worth noting that Leo XIV鈥檚 Afro-Caribbean roots through his maternal grandparents and dual Peruvian citizenship shape the gifts of the 鈥淎merican Catholicism鈥� this appointment represents.

His choice of the name Leo XIV signals a foundational commitment to the social justice aims of Leo XIII (1878-1903), whose encyclical on labor justice launched the modern Catholic social tradition and offered a critique of both socialism and unchecked capitalism.聽The new pope鈥檚 recent statements also indicate strong support for immigrants and refugees and condemnation of their demonization, including those cloaked in Catholic justifications. Pope Leo was tasked by his predecessor with overseeing the addition of three women to the Dicastery for Bishops he headed. It remains to be seen where his own priorities will lie and how they will animate the global Church, but his early days indicate a papacy oriented to gospel priorities of justice and peace.

James Keenan, S.J.
Canisius Professor; Director, Jesuit Institute; Vice Provost for Global Engagement

His selection of [the name] Leo is brilliant: if Pope Francis picked the saint most known for his care for the poor, Pope Leo XIV picked the pope most known for initiating modern Catholic discourse on social justice.聽 Of course, the Church, from its inception, created programs and structures to respond to the needs of the excluded, but when Pope Leo XIII promulgated Rerum Novarum (1891) he made it clear that the papacy would advocate for structural change for the alienated. Pope Leo XIV's name choice is sensational.

He is also one of the most internationally, pastorally trained cardinals.聽 Most cardinals are known for their work in Rome and in their native land.聽 His ministry in Peru means that he was shaped significantly by three cultures.聽 None of the popes in my lifetime have had his cultural diversity.聽 Moreover, that he spoke in only Italian and Spanish might be a sign that he sees himself from a world bigger than the United States.

Mark Massa, S.J.
Professor of Theology; Director, Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life

The choice of the name itself is significant. The last Leo (XIII) published an epochal encyclical in 1891,聽Rerum Novarum, which changed the playing field. That encyclical largely invented what we now call Catholic social ethics. Before Leo XIII, the Church tended to identify with aristocrats and monarchs. His聽 encyclical argued strongly for worker's聽rights鈥攑articularly the right of workers to unionize; it also said that "pure capitalism" was not one of the options that Catholics could choose in organizing their economic lives. The right to private property was a "relative right," not an absolute one, in the sense that concern for the poor had to take precedence over other rights, like making money. Big stuff. Catholic theological ethics has not been the same since 1891. So the new pope's name may, in itself, be a telling bellwether.

Stephen Pope
Professor of Theology

The electors chose someone who will continue the basic lines of Pope Francis' pontificate: synodality, concern for people on the margins, and commitment to environmental responsibility.聽 Though he is American, the pope has extensive experience in the Global South, particularly Peru, as well as much needed expertise in institutional administration.

The name also tells us something important about his agenda. Pope Leo XIII inaugurated modern Catholic social teachings through Rerum Novarum, his 1891 encyclical calling for greater respect for the dignity of workers and their right to a living wage and right to join unions. This message still needs to be heard today.

Pope Leo XIII is also known as moderately progressive in his openness to the modern world and his affirmation of the harmony of faith with reason and the sciences.聽 While more reserved and cautious than his predecessor, Pope Leo XIV can be expected to continue the Church's commitment to the main concerns of Pope Francis on the dignity and rights of refugees, the promotion of peace and justice, and compassion for those who suffer. I also hope he will promote even more thoroughly the greater inclusion of women in positions of leadership within the Church.