pope leo first interview : NPR

VATICAN CITY – In his first interview as chief of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV talked about his considerations about earnings inequality, polarization and the necessity for peace.

“We’ve got to proceed to remind ourselves of the potential that humanity has to beat the violence and the hatred that’s simply dividing us increasingly more,” Leo stated within the interview. “We stay in occasions when polarization appears to be one of many phrases of the day, nevertheless it’s not serving to anyone. Or if it is serving to anybody, it is only a few when everybody else is struggling.”

The interview, carried out over two classes in latest weeks and revealed by the Catholic information web site Crux on the his 70^th birthday, provide a primary glimpse into Leo’s character and priorities.

In his dialog with Crux’s senior Vatican correspondent, Elise Ann Allen, Leo signaled continuity along with his predecessor Pope Francis and the late pontiff’s imaginative and prescient for dialogue and full participation within the church, referred to as synodality.

Already positioning himself as a pope of reconciliation, Leo mirrored on the explanations behind the deep polarization in society and the church right now. He pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic, but additionally a way of lack of the worth of human life as partly accountable for sectarianism and division.

“Add on high of that a few different elements, one which I believe could be very vital is the repeatedly wider hole between the earnings ranges of the working class and the cash that the wealthiest obtain,” he stated.

Shortly after his election on Could 8, the pope stated he took the identify Leo as a result of he was impressed by Pope Leo XIII, who addressed the stresses placed on society by the Industrial Revolution within the late 18^th century. Leo XIII’s encyclical “Rerum Novarum” (On Revolutions) laid out the explanations for the church’s assist of the working class, truthful wages and the fitting to unionize, whereas opposing communism and unbridled capitalism.

Within the Crux interview, Leo XIV questioned the disproportionate distinction within the incomes of recent CEOs and people of their employees, and challenged the intense wealth of billionaires – and trillionaires corresponding to Elon Musk. “What does that imply and what’s that about? If that’s the solely factor that has worth anymore, then we’re in huge hassle.”

The pope known as synodality, whose its roots are in Latin American church, the “antidote” to the deep divisions within the church and society, describing it as “an perspective, an openness, a willingness to grasp.” He stated that some church leaders really feel “threatened” by synodality, due to what Leo known as a mistaken understanding of their authority. He stated a synodal church permits every member to play and function and contribute based mostly on their respective vocations as bishop, priest, missionary, lay particular person or member of the family.

“It is an perspective which I believe can educate loads to the world right now,” Leo stated, “I believe it is a manner of addressing a number of the best challenges that we have now on the planet right now. If we hearken to the gospel, and if we replicate upon it collectively, and if we attempt to stroll ahead collectively, listening to 1 one other, attempting to find what God is saying to us right now, there’s a lot to be gained for us there.”

Leo stated he hoped to proceed the method of instilling synodality within the church to construct a church that’s each united inside and engaged with the world. He clarified, as Francis had, that synodality shouldn’t be synonymous with democracy, “which if we have a look at many international locations world wide right now, democracy shouldn’t be essentially an ideal resolution to every part.”

Leo XIV’s additionally spoke in regards to the significance of peace in Ukraine. He praised the Holy See’s diplomacy efforts to stay above the fray and provide itself as a bridge for dialogue with all events concerned in conflicts, however he additionally stated that the probability of the Vatican internet hosting peace-talks between Russia and Ukraine is “not as practical.”

“I believe quite a few completely different actors should push onerous sufficient to make the events which might be at conflict say, sufficient is sufficient, and let’s search for one other solution to clear up our variations,” he stated, including that he has “excessive hopes for human nature” and the possibility for peace.

Leo acknowledged that the United Nations “has misplaced its capacity to carry individuals collectively on multilateral points” and stated that the important thing to “constructing bridges is primarily by way of dialogue.”

In a extra private portion of the interview, Leo talked about his expertise within the first months of his papacy. “There’s nonetheless an enormous studying curve forward of me,” he stated. “The completely new side to this job is being thrown onto the extent of world chief,” he stated.

He stated that “essentially the most basic function” of the pope is to “verify others of their religion.”

Requested whether or not he feels extra like a citizen of america, the place he was born, or Peruvian, the place he spent most of his life as a priest and missionary, Leo answered by saying “each/and.” He stated his appreciation for the lifetime of the church in Latin America allowed him to grasp a number of the imaginative and prescient that Francis had for the church.

Whereas he confirmed that he’s a fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball staff, he stated that “as pope, I am a fan of all groups.” He underlined the significance of being open and pleasant even in sports activities, whereas including that when Peru and america play in opposition to one another within the World Cup he’ll possible again Peru, “simply due to affective bonds.”

The complete interview will seem in Allen’s biography of the pope, “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century,” which will probably be revealed in Spanish on Sep. 18 and can out there in Portuguese and English in early 2026.

This story was produced by way of a collaboration between NPR and Faith Information Service.