Can we discern any significance from our new pope’s choice of name? There has been much speculation, but he himself said that he felt we were in an age similar to that which Pope Leo XIII faced at the close of the 19th century. Leo XIII was known as the Pope of Labor due to his famous encyclical, Rerum Novarum, in which he articulated the Catholic Church’s support for the rights and dignity of the working class in response to the threats posed by the Industrial Revolution and communism. Pope Leo XIV sees a similarity in our age, stemming from our current relationship with technology. He has called for an ethical framework for AI development—the Church’s approach to issues emerging in our new Digital Revolution.
By choosing this name, he may also have hoped to avoid following either the “conservative” or “liberal” factions that have emerged since Vatican II. Pope Leo XIII has not been labeled with either of these terms but was respected by all Catholics for his work. Since his election, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly emphasized that we are all one in Christ, and he wants to heal the divisions in our Church.
Pope Leo XIII also gave us the prayer to St. Michael (often said at the end of the Mass), which asks St. Michael to defend us in our daily battle against Satan. Now, our work in the Church is to pray that our new pope will bring us into harmony with one another, so that, united as one, we can all fight our true enemy: the devil, the Father of Lies.
