Habemus Papam, we have a Pope and with this traditional announcement Pope Leo XIV was introduced to the world. For some reason I was struck by the phrase this time round. It wasn’t the Church has a Pope, or the Cardinals have elected a Pope, it was simply we, the catholic community, bound at this moment by sadness over the death of one Pope and hoping for someone who would carry on the work and inspiration of Pope Francis. It is always a moment of joy and anticipation. What will he be like? While it is undoubtedly a family moment it is also a global moment and many outside the Church have acclaimed and welcomed a man who as a member of a religious order is surely a man of prayer, American born with Peruvian citizenship, missionary experience in Africa and Latin America and administrative experience in Peru and in Rome. His choice of name also gives a clue to his commitment to Justice and Peace.
Leo XIII was Pope at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th cy. and is known for bringing the Church into the modern world and facing up to the problems of the day. In his famous encyclical, Rerum Novarum, Latin for 'of revolutionary change in the world’ he addressed the social and economic issues of the late 19th century. He promoted workers' rights to fair wages, safe conditions, and trade unions while supporting property rights and free enterprise. He opposed both socialist and communist doctrines as well as laissez-faire capitalism. His encyclical laid the foundations for a body of teaching known as The Church’s Social Teaching, often called the Church’s Best Kept Secret which is based on seven principles: the dignity of the human person, solidarity, the common good, the option for the poor, peace, creation and the environment and the dignity of work and participation.
For Catholics the name Leo XIV was a sign that he intended to stand firmly in this tradition and today in a meeting with the Cardinals who elected him he confirmed this, saying that he identified with his namesake Pope Leo XIII. He also identified an issue that he obviously thinks is important - “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 defence of human dignity, justice and labour." “He reiterated the path set in motion by the Second Vatican Council, a path renewed and reinterpreted under Pope Francis. He highlighted key themes from Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium: the primacy of Christ, synodality, the sensus fidei (the supernatural "sense" of the faithful), popular piety, care for the poor, and courageous engagement with the world.” At the end of his discourse “he quoted Saint Paul VI, at the dawn of his own pontificate, praying that “a great flame of faith and love” may once again spread across the world, lighting the way for all people of good will”.
What more could the world hope for and from the response to the death of Pope Francis and the announcement of a new Pope it is obvious that people of all faiths and none look to the Pope for inspiration and guidance. One letter from a Muslim friend of the Scottish Church wrote “This moment brings renewed hope and inspiration to the Catholic faithful and to all who share in the wider mission of building compassion, justice, and peace. As we receive the Holy Father’s vision for the Church and the world, I know it will be met with open hearts and thoughtful reflection here in Scotland.” And a Church of Scotland in a nearby neighbourhood rang its bells loud and clear when the announcement was made – something not previously known in a country that still suffers from sectarianism.
Of course, there have already been critics, looking to his past and judging that 13 years ago he did not do enough about clerical abuse and even some Americans saying that while he may have been born in America he will not be committed to America First. There are also those writing his agenda, encouraging him to be committed to their particular cause such as the ordination of women, which I would of course agree with and because of my own ministry I would hope he would be committed to interfaith dialogue. Dialogue is a word he used when he came on to the balcony at St Peter’s to greet the community gathered there and the millions watching on their television screens. I have no doubts that he will continue Pope Francis’ commitment to this, realising how powerful it would be if all faiths together could light a great flame of faith and love. It would certainly be stronger than any one faith doing it on their own.
The task of a Pope is a mammoth one. He has said it is a burden that is too great for him or for anyone to bear and it can only be done with the support of the body of Cardinals and all members of the Church. There are many internal issues and problems to be faced but I think no Pope can get on bandwagons. His role is principally to be a source of unity, trying to hold in tension those who think the Church is not moving quickly enough and should change and those who think that change is betraying past teaching and wanting to hold it back. In a sense the Pope holds the middle position – there are others whose role is to challenge it and show how it can move forward into a new era, there are those who will remind it not to throw the baby out with the bath water and the Pope who discerns the way forward, all the time proclaiming the good news that each of us is unique and valuable with great potential to bring about a society and a world in which justice, peace and love can flourish.
Leo XIII was Pope at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th cy. and is known for bringing the Church into the modern world and facing up to the problems of the day. In his famous encyclical, Rerum Novarum, Latin for 'of revolutionary change in the world’ he addressed the social and economic issues of the late 19th century. He promoted workers' rights to fair wages, safe conditions, and trade unions while supporting property rights and free enterprise. He opposed both socialist and communist doctrines as well as laissez-faire capitalism. His encyclical laid the foundations for a body of teaching known as The Church’s Social Teaching, often called the Church’s Best Kept Secret which is based on seven principles: the dignity of the human person, solidarity, the common good, the option for the poor, peace, creation and the environment and the dignity of work and participation.
For Catholics the name Leo XIV was a sign that he intended to stand firmly in this tradition and today in a meeting with the Cardinals who elected him he confirmed this, saying that he identified with his namesake Pope Leo XIII. He also identified an issue that he obviously thinks is important - “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 defence of human dignity, justice and labour." “He reiterated the path set in motion by the Second Vatican Council, a path renewed and reinterpreted under Pope Francis. He highlighted key themes from Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium: the primacy of Christ, synodality, the sensus fidei (the supernatural "sense" of the faithful), popular piety, care for the poor, and courageous engagement with the world.” At the end of his discourse “he quoted Saint Paul VI, at the dawn of his own pontificate, praying that “a great flame of faith and love” may once again spread across the world, lighting the way for all people of good will”.
What more could the world hope for and from the response to the death of Pope Francis and the announcement of a new Pope it is obvious that people of all faiths and none look to the Pope for inspiration and guidance. One letter from a Muslim friend of the Scottish Church wrote “This moment brings renewed hope and inspiration to the Catholic faithful and to all who share in the wider mission of building compassion, justice, and peace. As we receive the Holy Father’s vision for the Church and the world, I know it will be met with open hearts and thoughtful reflection here in Scotland.” And a Church of Scotland in a nearby neighbourhood rang its bells loud and clear when the announcement was made – something not previously known in a country that still suffers from sectarianism.
Of course, there have already been critics, looking to his past and judging that 13 years ago he did not do enough about clerical abuse and even some Americans saying that while he may have been born in America he will not be committed to America First. There are also those writing his agenda, encouraging him to be committed to their particular cause such as the ordination of women, which I would of course agree with and because of my own ministry I would hope he would be committed to interfaith dialogue. Dialogue is a word he used when he came on to the balcony at St Peter’s to greet the community gathered there and the millions watching on their television screens. I have no doubts that he will continue Pope Francis’ commitment to this, realising how powerful it would be if all faiths together could light a great flame of faith and love. It would certainly be stronger than any one faith doing it on their own.
The task of a Pope is a mammoth one. He has said it is a burden that is too great for him or for anyone to bear and it can only be done with the support of the body of Cardinals and all members of the Church. There are many internal issues and problems to be faced but I think no Pope can get on bandwagons. His role is principally to be a source of unity, trying to hold in tension those who think the Church is not moving quickly enough and should change and those who think that change is betraying past teaching and wanting to hold it back. In a sense the Pope holds the middle position – there are others whose role is to challenge it and show how it can move forward into a new era, there are those who will remind it not to throw the baby out with the bath water and the Pope who discerns the way forward, all the time proclaiming the good news that each of us is unique and valuable with great potential to bring about a society and a world in which justice, peace and love can flourish.
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