Pope Leo XIV’s choice of name signals a commitment to social justice which is very much in line with the late Pope Francis’ global ministry.
Advertisement
“I think a lot us had a question mark when they elected an American, and then he selected the name Pope Leo XIV,” said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, the chair of religious studies at Manhattan University.
“It really means to me he will continue the work of Leo XXIII.”
Pope Leo XIII, who was head of the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903, laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought, most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers’ rights and capitalism at the dawn of the industrial age.
He criticised both laissez-faire capitalism and state-centric socialism, giving shape to a distinctly Catholic vein of economic teaching.
Advertisement
The name “is a deep sign of commitment to social issues,” said Imperatori-Lee. “I think this [new] pope is saying something about social justice, by choosing this name, that it is going to be a priority. He is continuing a lot of Francis’ ministry.”