Leo XIV: Between Truth and Inclusion

Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Letter is dedicated to the sixtieth anniversary of the conciliar declaration Gravissimum Educationis. It is titled Drawing New Maps of Hope and revelas, in its content and language, much of the ideological tension with which te neo-elect Pope Leo XIV is contending.

On the one hand, the last thing Leo XIV desires is to be seen casting aside Pope Francis’s legacy, and that’s normal, because history shows how important “reform in continuity” is to the life of the Church, even and especially when continuity is honored in the breach.

At the same time, however, three particularly – even peculiarly – Leonine characteristics emerge from the document.

The first: being a friar. Leo XIV upholds the seven paths of the Global Compact on Education launched by Pope Francis five years ago. The paths are: placing the person at the center; listening to children and young people; promoting the dignity and full participation of women; recognizing the family as the primary educator; being open to acceptance and inclusion; renewing the economy and politics in the service of humanity; and protecting our typical home.

However, Leo XIV adds three priorities to these paths. The first of these priorities is “the interior life, because young people demand depth.” The second is the so-called “digital human” theme. And the third is “unarmed and disarming peace.”

These three priorities arise not only from the Pope’s personal experience but also from his life and inner reflection. However, they also speak of a shift from a purely social sphere—which was the one in which Pope Francis operated most effectively—to a more spiritual one, where digital becomes “human digital,” and where peace becomes a gift that comes somehow from Christ, both ultimately in the eschaton and here in the round of history.

The second characteristic is directly connected to the first: the example of the saints.

As in his exhortation, Dilexi Te (begun by Francis), Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Letter presents numerous examples of Catholic saints and works who were involved in the field of education. It is a clear message: The Church builds on a history, an experience, a tradition, and the lives of the saints and great prophets. The novelty lies in prophecy, which has been a part of human existence since the beginning of time.

The third characteristic concerns truth.

Leo XIV spoke of a diplomacy of truth from his first address to the corps of diplomats accredited to the Holy See, and he has consistently maintained the theme of truth in his central speeches.

In Drawing New Maps of Hope, Leo XIV also urges us to “be careful not to fall into the trap of an enlightenment of a fides paired exclusively with ratio.”

“We need to emerge from the shallows,” Leo writes, “by recovering an empathic and open vision, and to understand better how humankind understands itself today in order to develop and deepen our teaching.”

“This,” Leo says, “is why desire and the heart must not be separated from knowledge: it would mean splitting the person.” .

Leo XIV’s three characteristics must be “tempered” in some way with the Pope’s personality and history.

Leo XIV is the first Pope of a new generation and is dealing with a cumbersome legacy. Many of his speeches still seem to come from the “old world” of the Francis era, but Leo XIV’s new world will not necessarily be very different from the old. It will likely be a synthesis of the two worlds, in which the Pope gives very “social” speeches to popular movements while, at the same time, sending greetings to the traditionalist world that gathers for the Paris-Chartres pilgrimage.

The Apostolic Letter is moving in one direction, but it remains to be seen how the Pope will handle this new direction. For now, everyone has been pleased by one particular thing or set of things the pope has done. The speech to the popular movements exalted the progressive world, while the traditionalist world has appreciated the return of symbols. The Mass of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, celebrated in St. Peter’s, at least indicated a lack of prejudice against those attached to the Mass of the usus antiquior.

The language, however, has its problems. Drawing New Maps of Hope also speaks of “inclusion,” a word that seems to be helpful for all seasons. While the term has a profound Christian meaning and implies that no one is excluded from salvation, the theme of inclusion has also been exploited, for example, to push for acceptance of specific pressures from the LGBT community.

We find ourselves, ultimately, faced with a Pope yet to be deciphered, and the pope’s forthcoming documents will reveal much.

There will be a document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Mary’s cooperation in salvation, which was initiated under Pope Francis. Pope Francis completely rejected the term “co-redemptrix,” but it remains to be seen whether Leo XIV has decided to maintain that approach or has taken a different direction instead. That document will likely be the first test that will truly reveal the extent to which Leo XIV really is in continuity with his predecessor.

There is also a brewing controversy arising from the Italian bishops’ synodal process, over which there was significant disagreement over points not only moral and anthropological, but also ecclesiological, concerning the organization and exercise of governing power within the episcopate.

To summarize: the Italian synodal assembly rejected in April a first document, which prompted the Italian Bishops to postpone the discussion and also their plenary assembly. Then, the assembly approved a document that also asked the bishops to back anti-homophobia manifestations. After the publication of the text, there was also a push to make the assembly’s recommendations mandatory, which creates a huge problem: no administrative body, not even a bishops’ conference, can compel a bishop to make certain decisions.

It remains to be seen whether Pope Leo XIV will intervene in the matter, but it is hard to fathom a situation in which he will be able to stay out of it entirely, even if he should desire to keep his distance..

It is not only Leo XIV and his pontificate that remain suspended today between a desire for transparent truth and the need to “include” everyone, somehow. It is the papal office itself. It may be some time before we see, through the appointment of Leo’s own personnel in key places within the government of the Church, which way things will break.