Robert Francis Prevost shared that ‘there are several reasons for choosing the name, but the main thing is that Pope Leo XIII addressed the social issue in the context of the first major industrial revolution’
O He explained, on Saturday (10), that he chose his papal name for his commitment to social issues in the face of the challenges of the new Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence, during a meeting with cardinals. The statements of the new leader of the Catholic Church, the first pope born in are closely followed after their election on Thursday.
In a speech to the members of the Cardinal College, the Pontiff explained that the choice of its papal name reflects its commitment to the social causes defended by Leo XIII, which during the nineteenth century was a fervent advocate of workers’ rights. “I considered to adopt the name of Leo XIV. There are several reasons, but the main thing is that Pope Leo XIII, with the historic encyclical rerum Novarum, addressed the social issue in the context of the first major industrial revolution,” said the 69 -year -old pontiff.
This encyclical of 1891, a type of text in which the popes address important issues, can be translated as “new things” or “innovations” and is the basis of the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, which aims to promote human dignity, solidarity and the common good, among other values. “Today, the Church offers all its social doctrine heritage to respond to another industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence, which place new challenges in defending human dignity, justice and work,” he said.
In the first mass of his pontificate on Friday, this former mining-born Chicago and who served as a bishop in Peru, denounced the decline of faith in favor of “money”, “power” and “pleasure.” Since his election as a spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics in the world, Robert Francis Prevost gradually has shaped his style. On Thursday night, in his first public appearance immediately after his election, he spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish from the balcony of the São Pedro Basilica.
Francisco’s style
In his speech, the Pope also paid tribute to his predecessor, Francisco, an Argentine Jesuit who died on April 21 at the age of 88 and was inspired by the saint of the poor during his pontificate. “The Pope, from St. Peter to me, his unworthy successor, is a humble servant of God and his brothers, and nothing more than that. The examples of many of my predecessors, like Pope Francis, have clearly demonstrated it,” he said.
Leo XIV emphasized the style of “Total dedication to service and a sober and essential life” and asked for a return to “this valuable inheritance.” The Vatican programmed the Entronization Mass from Leo XIV to May 18 in the Basilica of St. Peter.
Leo XIV assumes a church that faces numerous challenges, such as the vocational crisis, the role of women and the cases of sexual aggression in the church. Defense groups of abuse victims, such as Snap and Bishop Accountability, received their appointment with concern, arguing that he kept the cases he supervised secretly. In addition to these internal problems the numerous conflicts around the world, the rise of populist governments, and the aggravation of the climate crisis.
*With information from AFP
