It is in every one’s interest – Catholic or not, believer or not – to want the best for Pope Leo XIV.
Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) was the first truly modern pope. He was able to help the Church rediscover her spiritual roots, while embracing all that was good coming out of the Industrial Revolution.
Great wealth was created by the Industrial Revolution, but it was not evenly distributed.
Karl Marx (1818-1883) published the Communist Manifesto in 1848. He argued the best way to deal with the disparity of wealth was to abolish the right to private property.
Leo XIII faced the double-edged challenge by rigorously defending the right to private property, with its orientation to the common good.
He prophesised that the abolition of the right to private property would lead to mass poverty, since its abolition would crush economic initiative. When the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989, the abject poverty of communist countries was there for all to see.
By taking the name Leo XIV, our new pope is telling us, as did Leo XIII:
In times of great change, we need to rediscover our rich spiritual tradition and not be afraid of new developments.
Very sensible.
Amen.
