- Feb 5, 2002
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Since his election on May 8, Pope Leo XIV has become the subject of a torrent of analysis. Timehailed him as a global authority on artificial intelligence. The National Catholic Registerparsed lessons from his still-young papacy for corporate boardrooms. Vatican journalist Christopher White has already published a book about the beginnings of Leo’s tenure.
The Pope has also quickly been roped into church politics. Conservatives have fawned over his choice to use Pope Benedict XVI’s ceremonial stave and don the traditional red mozzetta. Liberals have hailed his progressive stances on immigration and climate change. The swirl of coverage has already branded him both “woke pontiff” and “the most based Pope ever” within his first month.
Coverage of the Bishop of Rome is now a bona-fide industry, with journalists scrutinizing his every aside, old lecture, and offhand gesture in search of clues about his views on doctrine or culture. The insatiable appetite of American Catholics for papal content exposes the very ills of the modern Church that many observers hope Pope Leo will address. In an age of instant news and constant commentary, the faithful have become conditioned to consume the papacy as spectacle. Yet Leo’s pontificate may offer the chance to recover a quieter, older form of devotion, one less dependent on press conferences and soundbites.
Much speculation already swirls around the possibility of Leo’s first encyclical. The very name he chose, Leo, evokes Leo XIII, the 19th-century pope who inaugurated Catholic social teaching. Rumors in July suggested that a draft was underway. For many, this promised letter would establish the tone of his papacy.
Continued below.
juicyecumenism.com
The Pope has also quickly been roped into church politics. Conservatives have fawned over his choice to use Pope Benedict XVI’s ceremonial stave and don the traditional red mozzetta. Liberals have hailed his progressive stances on immigration and climate change. The swirl of coverage has already branded him both “woke pontiff” and “the most based Pope ever” within his first month.
Coverage of the Bishop of Rome is now a bona-fide industry, with journalists scrutinizing his every aside, old lecture, and offhand gesture in search of clues about his views on doctrine or culture. The insatiable appetite of American Catholics for papal content exposes the very ills of the modern Church that many observers hope Pope Leo will address. In an age of instant news and constant commentary, the faithful have become conditioned to consume the papacy as spectacle. Yet Leo’s pontificate may offer the chance to recover a quieter, older form of devotion, one less dependent on press conferences and soundbites.
Much speculation already swirls around the possibility of Leo’s first encyclical. The very name he chose, Leo, evokes Leo XIII, the 19th-century pope who inaugurated Catholic social teaching. Rumors in July suggested that a draft was underway. For many, this promised letter would establish the tone of his papacy.
Continued below.
Shut Up About Pope Leo
As Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate finds its footing, remember that the chatty, media-savvy pope is a modern invention, not a Catholic necessity.
juicyecumenism.com
