Pope Leo XIV has revealed why he chose the Papal name of “Leo” in an address to the College of Cardinals on Saturday.
From the moment he appeared on the balcony and revealed his chosen name, many had speculated the reasons behind the choice, however Pope Leo XIV clarified the reasoning in the address.
“These are evangelical principles that have always inspired and guided the life and activity of God’s Family,” he said to the Cardinals on Saturday.
“In these values, the merciful face of the Father has been revealed and continues to be revealed in his incarnate Son, the ultimate hope of all who sincerely seek truth, justice, peace and fraternity.”
“Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV.
“There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution.
“In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her 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.”
During the address he also paid tribute to his predecessor Pope Francis and to the Second Vatican Council, saying he wanted to continue in the tradition of each of them.
He cited Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium as fundamental for the Church in this day: “the return to the primacy of Christ in proclamation; the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community; growth in collegiality and synodality; attention to the sensus fidei, especially in its most authentic and inclusive forms, such as popular piety; loving care for the least and the rejected; courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities.”
Over the weekend, the Holy See also announced Pope Leo XIV would celebrate his Inauguration Mass on Sunday, 18th May.
He will meet with key members of the Holy See and media over the next few days, while taking possession of the key Papal Basilicas in Rome.
You can read Pope Leo XIV’s address to the College of Cardinals in full here.