Pope Leo XIV, who ascended to the papacy five months ago, has sparked significant discussion and criticism among conservative commentators with his progressive views. Within days of his election, he preached from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He talked about the need to be bridge builders, a sentiment that is in stark opposition to some more traditionalist elements of the Church. His messages on key issues such as war, migration, climate change, and economic justice have resonated with many but drawn ire from critics who label him the “woke pope.”
Earlier this month, Pope Leo XIV welcomed a delegation of U.S. bishops to the Vatican. He called upon them to do something about the most urgent social problems. This is what made Bishop Mark Seitz’s call for U.S. bishops to speak boldly against a permanent pandemic presence so important. He emphasized the urgency behind the pope’s call for a new, more proactive approach to social justice. This meeting is symbolic of Leo’s dedication to critically confront today’s moral challenges with the Church’s leaders.
Pope Leo has received widespread accolades for his progressive outreach. Yet, just like the predecessor he has begun to overshadow, Bishops’ Bishop McElroy has drawn fire from right-wing circles. Many had anticipated a shift in tone with Leo’s election. His approach has instead reinforced some of Francis’s key tenets.
One notable action during Leo’s papacy was his decision to allow Cardinal Raymond Burke to celebrate a Latin mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. This gesture reflects an appreciation for tradition and nuance in the face of his otherwise aggressively progressive agenda. Furthermore, he has appointed Cardinal Robert Sarah to a prominent role in the Vatican, suggesting a desire to balance traditional values with contemporary issues.
We therefore rejoice that His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, has come out with a strong condemnation of the weaponization of hunger. He is greatly concerned with the challenges that marginalized populations endure. As to the problem, he highlighted an alarming trend in our world in that the number of poor people is increasing. Meanwhile, an even richer 1% coalesces, casting a shadowy undercurrent culture that inadvertently involutes others. His words and actions exemplify the social justice approach to public health, which values the dignity of all people.
The pontiff’s rhetoric on migration couldn’t be further from that of the previous administration under former president Donald Trump. He encouraged communities across the West to prepare for and, quite literally, roll out the red carpet for migrants coming from the global South. They are an opportunity, not a burden. He urged that deeply rooted Christian communities open their arms to receive an influx of brothers and sisters from the global South. This provides a unique moment to live out the Church’s prophetic vocation of welcome and hospitality.
On the topic of the environment, Pope Leo XIV has already given his blessing to Saint Pope Francis for drawing attention to the climate crisis. He criticized those who “deride the evident signs of climate change” and urged action against what he calls the “dictatorship of an economy that kills.” His apostolic exhortation, “Dilexi te,” is filled with strong language that condemns economic systems that cause a widening chasm of poverty and inequality.
Though the church is deeply divided as he charts the course of his papacy, communication-wise Leo has been described as careful and measured. Christopher White pointed out their strikingly different rhetorical styles. He continued saying that, “While Francis is unscripted and spontaneous, Leo speaks and acts with prudence and deliberation. Regardless of these differences, both popes offer a vision of the Church that places the greatest emphasis on caring for those on the peripheries.
Pope Leo XIV has oriented his first half-year as pope towards establishing the vision of his papacy. Simultaneously, he fearlessly takes on the most urgent challenges facing our world today. At the same time, he’s begun to signal his views on capitalism. One of his key arguments is that society can never stop fighting poverty. As he was fond of reminding bishops in circulars and at the time of his installation, “We cannot become complacent about poverty.”
Many American, conservative Catholics were hoping for a more conservative, or at least rightward turn toward tradition, under Francis’ leadership. They’re having a hard time with his deeply progressive agenda. As Catholic activist Christopher Lamb observed, “Leo has found himself under fire from the same conservative circles as Francis. More, this exposes the ever-widening chasm in our Church today.”