Humanity has the potential to overcome the violence and hatred that is increasingly dividing people, Pope Leo XIV said in an excerpt from his first interview as pope. Source: OSV News.
“I think it’s very important to start a deeper reflection, of trying to figure out: Why is the world so polarised? What’s going on?” he said, pointing to several different “elements that have led to this,” including the “crisis of 2020” because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ever-widening earnings gap between the working class and the wealthy, as well as the loss of a sense of what life is really about.
“The news that Elon Musk is going to be the first trillionaire in the world. … 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,” he said.
A series of excerpts was published yesterday, the Pope’s 70th birthday, by the Catholic online news outlet, Crux, ahead of the September 18 publication of the book, Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century, in Spanish by Penguin Peru.
English and Portuguese editions will be released early next year.
The book includes two separate interviews totalling about three hours of conversation in July between Pope Leo and Elise Allen, Crux’s senior correspondent. The excerpts included topics such as the Pope’s favourite sports teams, how he was settling into his role as pope, the war in Ukraine, synodality and the increasing polarisation in the world.
Asked about how he is adapting to being the pope after his election on May 8, he said, “There’s still a huge learning curve ahead of me.”
The pastoral part has not been difficult, he said, “although I’m surprised at the response, how great it continues to be.”
What is totally new, he said, “is being thrown onto the level of world leader. It’s very public; people know the phone conversations or meetings I’ve had with the heads of state of a number of different governments, countries around the world, in a time when the voice of the Church has a significant role to play.”
“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,” he said.
FULL STORY
Pope says his biggest challenge since election is being a world leader (By Carol Glatz, CNS via OSV News)
In interview with Crux correspondent, Pope talks Ukraine, synodality, polarization, World Cup (Crux)
