In first interview, Pope Leo XIV takes on billionaires, polarization and conflict

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

“We have to continue to remind ourselves of the potential that humanity has to overcome the violence and the hatred that is just dividing us more and more,” Leo mentioned within the interview. “We live in times when polarization seems to be one of the words of the day, but it’s not helping anybody. Or if it’s helping anyone, it’s very few when everyone else is suffering.”

The interview, carried out over two periods in current weeks and revealed by the Catholic newsite Crux on the his 70^th birthday, supply a primary glimpse into Leo’s persona and priorities.

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

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

“Add on top of that a couple of other factors, one which I think is very significant is the continuously wider gap between the income levels of the working class and the money that the wealthiest receive,” he mentioned.

Shortly after his election on Might 8, the pope mentioned 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 help of the working class, honest wages and the suitable 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 staff, and challenged the acute wealth of billionaires – and trillionaires corresponding to Elon Musk. “What does that mean and what’s that about? If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we’re in big trouble.”

The pope referred to 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 attitude, an openness, a willingness to understand.” He mentioned that some church leaders really feel “threatened” by synodality, due to what Leo referred to as a mistaken understanding of their authority. He mentioned a synodal church permits every member to play and position and contribute primarily based on their respective vocations as bishop, priest, missionary, lay individual or member of the family.

“It’s an attitude which I think can teach a lot to the world today,” Leo mentioned, “I think this is a way of addressing some of the greatest challenges that we have in the world today. If we listen to the gospel, and if we reflect upon it together, and if we strive to walk forward together, listening to one another, trying to discover what God is saying to us today, there is a lot to be gained for us there.”

Leo mentioned 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 will not be synonymous with democracy, “which if we look at many countries around the world today, democracy is not necessarily a perfect solution to everything.”

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

“I think a number of different actors have to push hard enough to make the parties that are at war say, enough is enough, and let’s look for another way to solve our differences,” he mentioned, including that he has “high hopes for human nature” and the possibility for peace.

Leo acknowledged that the United Nations “has lost its ability to bring people together on multilateral issues” and mentioned that the important thing to “building bridges is primarily through dialogue.”

In a extra private portion of the interview, Leo talked about his expertise within the first months of his papacy. “There’s still a huge learning curve ahead of me,” he mentioned. “The totally new aspect to this job is being thrown onto the level of world leader,” he mentioned.

He mentioned that “the most fundamental role” of the pope is to “confirm others in their faith.”

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 “both/and.” He mentioned his appreciation for the lifetime of the church in Latin America allowed him to grasp among the imaginative and prescient that Francis had for the church.

Whereas he confirmed that he’s a fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball group, he mentioned that “as pope, I’m a fan of all teams.” 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 doubtless again Peru, “just because of affective bonds.”

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

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