Leo XIV and the Future of Catholic Politics

You likely missed it if you weren’t paying very close attention, but Pope Leo XIV this past week articulated a vision of Catholic participation in public life, which is sure to be a cornerstone of his whole teaching pontificate and a keystone of his political philosophy.

Leo’s speech to Catholic politicians from the French diocese of Créteil brought ideas he has presented in various places and to different audiences since the beginning of his still very young pontificate, into an intricate weave.

First, a little rehearsal of where he began threading.

In his meeting with the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See immediately after his election, Leo XIV brought the theme of the diplomacy of truth back to the forefront. He noted that the Church was called to tell the truth about humanity, even when this could create opposition or be unpleasant.

And then, there was the address to the members of the International Catholic Legislators Network, delivered on August 23, in which he offered the example of St. Augustine and his concept of the City of God, which contrasts with the City of Man.

“Augustine,” the Pope said, “encouraged Christians to infuse the earthly society with the values of God’s Kingdom, thereby directing history toward its ultimate fulfilment in God, while also allowing for authentic human flourishing in this life. This theological vision can anchor us in the face of today’s changing currents: the emergence of new centers of gravity, the shifting of old alliances and the unprecedented influence of global corporations and technologies, not to mention numerous violent conflicts. The crucial question before us believers, therefore, is this: how can we accomplish this task?”

Then, on August 28, meeting with a group of Catholic politicians from the diocese of Créteil, Leo XIV closed the circle, giving a precise indication: “When the truth is at stake, a Catholic politician must say ‘no, I cannot’.”

Leo has made several interventions, in fact, both on the Church’s social doctrine and on the theme of truth, not to mention the Pope’s constant diplomatic appeals, characterized by frank, precise, and brief language.

The Pope has also emphasized the need for human prosperity to be linked to the common good, for integral human development rooted “in natural law, the moral order that God has written on the human heart, whose deeper truths are illuminated by the Gospel of Christ.” That, too, was in his speech to the International Catholic Legislators Network on 23 August. “In this regard,” Leo also said, “authentic human flourishing is seen when individuals live virtuously, when they live in healthy communities, enjoying not only what they have, what they possess, but also who they are as children of God.”

“It ensures the freedom to seek truth,” Leo said, “to worship God and to raise families in peace.” ”

It bears mention that the theme of the message for the 2026 World Peace Day has been announced, inspired by the first words of Leo XIV upon his election: “Peace be with you all! Towards an unarmed and disarming peace.”

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development explained that the authentic Peace indicated by Leo XIV is a peace that “is not simply the absence of conflict, but a choice of disarmament, ‘that is, not founded on fear.’ The silence of artillery then becomes ‘disarming,’ because it is ‘capable of resolving conflicts, opening hearts and generating trust, empathy and hope.’”

These brief insights – but it is always a good idea to read the texts in their entirety to understand all their implications – particularly highlight Leo XIV’s commitment to significant issues and offer a possible glimpse into his future pontificate.

Leo XIV does not seem to be a Pope who focuses on small practical matters, on what would be
called “casuistry.” Instead, Leo XIV addresses great principles. Perhaps this is no longer the time to use the term “non-negotiable principles,” but these principles are always present in the Pope’s teaching. There are no deviations from the truth. There is dialogue, there is understanding, but there are no deviations.

The Pope’s first encyclical, which is said to be dedicated precisely to Peace—or will have Peace as one of its central themes—will clarify much of the Pope’s thinking in this regard. So far, one might say that the era of Catholic involvement in popular movements, or of total Catholic sympathy for humanitarian operations, of whatever color, is over. Leo XIV calls, instead, for a return to Christian identity and cooperation in building the civilization of love. Not that that era, with the breath of South America brought by Pope Francis, has been rejected. Leo XIV is well aware of the virtues and limitations of that approach, having first served as a missionary and then as a bishop in Peru.

But precisely because he knows its virtues and limitations, Leo XIV’s approach must be carefully considered. We have returned to the centrality of Christ, and we cannot help but recall what happened in the preparations for the Fifth Conference of the Latin American Episcopate in Aparecida in 2007.

The proposed theme was initially “Disciples and Missionaries of Jesus Christ, so that our people may have life.” Benedict XVI wanted the addition of “in Him,” thus emphasizing the centrality of Christ. The Aparecida document then became a guiding document at the beginning of Pope Francis’s pontificate, at least until the publication of the exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. Yet the assembly’s Christocentric approach seemed forgotten, while the entire post-Vatican II narrative of a Church more engaged with the world and less with structures had regained popularity.

Leo XIV is working to rebalance the narrative, but how he rebalances things will have implications for the role of Catholic politicians.

Popes of the last century never failed to call for politicians truly guided by Catholic principles. However, Leo XIV did not make a generic appeal. He asked politicians to remain anchored to the truth and to be capable of saying no. In fact, he asked politicians to be consistent with their Christian life.

This means that no issue concerning human dignity can be excluded, and it doesn’t matter if some of the topics—the fight against gender ideology, the issue of family, and the defense of life from conception to natural death—are unpopular. The approach is not to seek consensus, but to act for the truth. Catholic politicians will not be asked, therefore, to adapt their language, but to work to ensure that politics has something to say about the fate of humanity.

This represents a significant shift in perspective, one that warrants highlighting.

Ultimately, Leo XIV is not an “improved Francis,” as some have claimed. Nor can the Pope be interpreted as a “before” or “after,” because he represents a new generation, very different from the one now past. To try and see any continuity with the previous pontificate, even if some elements of Francis’s pontificate obviously remain, is a risky proposition. That said, Leo XIV has begun to introduce his own innovations, and they must be read honestly, neither overestimating nor underestimating them. The first innovation is this “investment of responsibility” in Catholic politicians.

Who knows if it will truly succeed in changing hearts?