The Pope chose the name Leon XIV. Why

– We know that the name taken by the Pope tells us something. He talks about his profile, his rooting, his way of looking at the world – noted on TVN24 father Paweł Gużyński, a Dominican. What the selected name – Leon XIV – says about the new pope?

The name Leon was already 13 out of all 266 previous popes. Cardinal Robert Prevost became Leon XIV. The last head of the church with this name was Leon XIII, the Pope of the late nineteenth century – his pontificate was 1878-1903.

– It was Leon XIII who extracted the church out of a great collapse. The church could not come to terms with modernity at the time – he said in “Kropka nad i” Fr. Alfred Wierzbicki, ethic and theologian from UMCS. As Father Paweł Gużyński reminds, Leon XIII became famous as the author of the extremely important encyclical rerum Novarum (new things). The document considered Jkest is a breakthrough not only for the church itself. He determined the social dimension of his teaching, trying in those difficult times to unite employers and employees, emphasizing, among others the need to protect employee rights. – (Leon XIII) is a pope who had to find himself between wild capitalism and galloping socialism and sought balance. Excellent, groundbreaking, very important encyclical – adds Father Gużyński.

Leon XIV “can stand between the global noon and the global north”

According to the expert, social matters will probably also be in the attention center during the pontificate of Leon XIV. – This pope can deal with many important social issues. Stand between other two poles – the global south and the global north and try to solve this conflict – says Father Gużyński.

But this is not the only interpretation of this name. The first pope who accepted them was Leon and the Great, one of the fathers of the Church and his doctor, who was his head in the years 440-461. This figure is associated with strength in difficult times and strengthening the institution of the papacy. The very strength of his word he stopped the Huns leader – Attyla, abandoning him from the equalization of Rome with the ground.

So maybe not only socially sensitive, but also strong? “His name is shown by the Pope, who will be strong in times of crisis,” believes the commentator “The Independent” Catholic priest and blogger Ed Tomlison.