Fabio Ottaci / Epa
American cardinal Robert Prevost is the new Pope Leo XIV
There are mathematical roots, besides theological, behind Robert Francis Prevost. The importance of Georg singer, spiritual mathematics.
And behold, the appointment of the recovered a connection deep between mathematics and theology.
O Pope Leo XIV was a mathematician. He chose his papal name in honor of the. But this choice may reflect more than simple historical admiration: it may suggest a shared appreciation of one of the most powerful and paradoxical ideas in both domains – the infinite.
Despite being finite beings, with limited cognitive lives and capabilities, humans have long been struggling with the concept of infinity.
This abstract idea manifests itself in religion – where God is often described as an infinite being – and in mathematics, Where infinity supports numerous concepts, from the endless sequence of prime numbers to unlimited geometric shapes.
Historically, it remembers the mathematicians accepted the notion of infinite collections – Like the endless set of numbers – but rejected The idea of a real infinite object.
This reluctance derived from paradoxes such as described by Galileo, where the set of all natural numbers seems to be simultaneously larger and not larger than the set of even numbers.
Logical contradictions like this led many thinkers to treat infinity as an abstract concept, not as a concrete mathematical entity.
Georg Cantor
This perspective changed radically in the late nineteenth century with the revolutionary work of the German mathematician Georg Cantor, that introduced the idea of Transfinite numbers: rigorous mathematical representations of real infinity.
Their theory of sets has allowed mathematicians to compare the size of infinite sets through biunity correspondence, where each element of one set is paired with exactly one element of another.
This approach revealed surprising results.
For example, the set of all numbers natural has the same size that the set of all numbers pares.
And more. Singer demonstrated that Not all infinities are equal: The set of real numbers, which includes infinite decimal expansions, is larger than the set of integers.
This led to the development of an infinite hierarchy, represented by symbols as Álefe (ℵ), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet – a symbol with mystical and theological resonance.
For singer, the mathematics and theology were deeply linked. Devote Lutheran Christian believed that the concept of transfinite numbers had been inspired by God and corresponded to the greatness of Divine nature.
He sought dialogue with Catholic theologians, insisting that his theory of infinity did not threaten God’s uniqueness as absolute infinity.
On the contrary, singer saw his discoveries as a kind of spiritual mathematics – A “way to the throne of God.”
The reflections of the German culminated in a Exchange of correspondence with Pope Leo XIIIa progressive figure who encouraged the dialogue between science and religion.
Leo XIII supported efforts to reconcile modern scientific advances with Catholic doctrine, creating a historical precedent that may have influenced Pope Leo XIV.
By choosing the name Leo XIV, the current Pontiff may be signaling a continuation of this legacy – a union between intellectual rigor and spiritual exploitation.
In doing so, honor not only a predecessor, but also recognizes the curiosity for infinity. That moves mathematics and… faith.
