Pope Leo XIV brings to the papacy his roots in the United States, an Augustinian religious vocation, decades of ministry in a poor diocese in Peru, and service to Pope Francis at the Vatican. He began his papacy by calling for peace, mercy, and justice in our hurting world. He spoke of the importance of building bridges and has a track record of doing so.
In choosing the name of Leo XIV, our new Holy Father honors Pope Leo XIII, the father of modern Catholic social teaching who championed the dignity of work and the rights of workers. Pope Leo XIV said he chose his name
- “because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the church offers everyone the treasury of its social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.”
This dialogue took a deeper look at how Cardinal Robert Prevost became the first pope from the United States and the significance of his choice of Leo XIV as his name. It also examined the legacy of Leo XIII and the potential role of Catholic social teaching in the leadership of Pope Leo XIV. In addition, the dialogue explored some of the “new things (rerum novarum)” we face today in our Church, nation, and world, along with the implications in U.S. public life of a pope with roots in the United States, ministry in Latin America, and leadership in our global Church.
Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative, moderated the dialogue. She is a member of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication and provided commentary from Rome on Pope Leo XIV's election on CNN, MSNBC, NBC, PBS, and other major media outlets.
Resources
View articles, videos, and other resources for this dialogue.
Recording
The dialogue starting at 6:00 p.m. EDT will be recorded and posted online for later viewing.
Photo © Mazur/Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
