On Sept. 13, Pope Leo XIV gave his first formal interview as leader of the Catholic Church. NPR correspondent Elise Ann Allen interviewed him, and the piece was published on Crux, an outlet dedicated to covering the Vatican. He met with a larger group of Jubilee pilgrims who had traveled to Rome. The interview was conducted over several weeks, but was released on Leo’s 70th birthday.
Only two and a half months into this position, the pope described the immense learning curve that comes with the job. Despite his concerns about becoming a world leader, Leo urged for peace in Ukraine, calling out the United Nations for its inability to mediate and achieve peace.
While some have described him as “media shy,” Leo seemed quite comfortable in his interview, seated across from Allen. They joked briefly about sports loyalties, which led to a discussion of his multicultural identity. Leo revealed that he considers himself American, but also has a deep-rooted loyalty to Peru, the country where he spent nearly two decades.
One of his first messages expressed continuity with his predecessor, Former Pope Francis. Leo shares Francis’s vision of full participation within the Church. Leo has already positioned himself as a leader of reconciliation, emphasizing the great divide between society and the church today. He presented COVID-19 as one reason for this polarization, as well as an overall loss of value in the sense of human life.
Leo spent considerable time describing his view on wage inequality. The pope revealed that he chose his name as a nod to Pope Leo XIII’s support for the working class during the Industrial Revolution. He was known for condemning the disparities between business owners and their workers, and he strongly supported the right to unionize. Leo XIV shares similar views on the obscenely wealthy. Referencing Elon Musk’s potential to become the world’s first trillionaire, the pope stated, “If [money] is the only thing that has value anymore, then we’re in big trouble.”
Citing many causes for Catholic struggles, Leo proposed synodality as an overarching solution. He describes synodality as “an attitude that helps foster Church community.” Generally, it is an openness and willingness to understand others. A synodal church allows each member to play a role in church affairs. He clarified, though, that synodality is not equivalent to democracy. While the Church has never claimed democracy, Leo expanded his statement by saying, “if we look at many countries around the world today, democracy is not necessarily a perfect solution to everything.”
Some Catholics were hoping for Leo to be an extra progressive leader, one who would do what arguably the most liberal Pope of the last few centuries — Francis — was hesitant to do. Others wished for a conservative who would stand on and even expand the traditional values that the Church has always held. We can’t be sure exactly where Leo XIV stands quite yet, so we will just have to wait and see.