What’s in a name? Pope Leo XIV’s choice signals a commitment to social justice - The Philadelphia Sunday Sun

What’s in a name? Pope Leo XIV’s choice signals a commitment to social justice - The Philadelphia Sunday Sun

Then-newly elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, right, receives his biretta from Pope Francis as he is elevated in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican, Sept. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca, file) By Colleen Barry ASSOCIATED PRESS SCHIAVON, Italy — Pope Leo XIV’s choice of name signals a commitment to social justice that is very much in line with the late Pope Francis ‘ global ministry. “I think a lot…

Pope Leo XIV's name offers hope for the renewal of Catholic Social Doctrine

'If the reference to Leo XIII is not to be merely nominal, the revival of the Social Doctrine of the Church entails the revival of the whole patrimony of philosophical and theological thought in Catholic Tradition,' Catholic philosopher Stephano Fontana explained.

A few brief remarks inspired by the pontifical name of the new Pope Leo XIV. Two to three weeks after the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the cardinals gathered in conclave in the Sistine Chapel of Rome. Twenty-four hours later, on May 8, 2025, it was learned that American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago in 1955, had been elected pope and had chosen to be called Leo XIV.

What’s in a (papal) name?

It’s early days into the tenure of Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, so it’s hard to say what his papacy will be like, but there are clues in the papal name he chose.

The pontificate of Pope Francis (1936–2025) represented a decisive turning point in the Catholic Church: the preferential option for the poor translated into effective policies. He questioned capitalism, advocated peace, defended the sovereignty of the countries of the Global South, and promoted values such as equality, solidarity and respect for the other. These positions provoked the rejection of the world’s right-wings, who accused him of “co…

Pope Leo XIII, in whose line the new Pope Leo XIV is inscribed, marked the twentieth century considerably by opening the Church to modernity. The Encyclical Rerum novarum (1891) accompanied the upheavals of his time, and inspired many Catholics in favor of the improvement of the working conditions and greater social justice.