Habemus Papam! This has been great news for the Universal Church and the world. Cardinal Robert Prevost is now the Roman Pontiff. He has chosen the name Leo XIV. Immediately, we go back to the end of the 19th century, and the figure of Pope Leo XIII returns to us. He formally initiated the Church’s social doctrine, addressing the social question of the conflict between labor and capital. The response of the Church’s magisterium was the famous social encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), proposing moral principles, criteria for action, and practical guidelines to provide a moral theological response to the social problem, ideologically polarized by the liberalism and communism of the time.

Pope Leo XIII marked a milestone in the history of the Church with this encyclical, but it wasn’t the only landmark he made during his pontificate. There was more. Below, I turn to the extracts I took from Santiago Casas’s book, Leo XIII, a Papacy Between Modernity and Tradition (EUNSA, 2014), which may give us some insight into the new pontificate of Pope Leo XIV:

A New Reality of the Church

“In 1878, Leo XIII received the difficult legacy of a Church that had just emerged from a bitter conflict, a Church that had clashed with the new reality of bourgeois national states, which did not recognize its former role within civil society; moreover, they expressed their distrust of the faith professed by citizens and, in many cases, an aversion and hostility toward the religious phenomenon and its values. The same pontiff, in his first encyclical, Inscrutabili Dei consilio (21. IV. 1878), described this new reality that had upset the old social and political balances (p. 62).”

Criticism of Modern Paganism

If anyone had thought that a “liberal” pope was coming to the throne of Peter, this first encyclical was a cold shower. Leo XIII was as harsh as Pius IX in his condemnation of modern paganism in all its forms. He condemned civil marriage and divorce with equal force and reclaimed the Catholic Church’s right to teaching (p. 63).

Aeterni Patris

“One of the most doctrinally charged encyclicals was Aeterni Patris (4. VIII. 1879). The first words of the encyclical coincided with those at the beginning of the Compendium Theologiae, the unfinished work of Saint Thomas Aquinas (pp. 63-64).” This encyclical gave rise to an in-depth study of Thomas Aquinas’s work. Neo-Thomism was born in the 20th century, with major figures in Christian theology and philosophy.

Christian Democracy

“The Pope wanted, at least in Italy, Catholics to be united and obedient, even in social matters and in their political behavior. At the same time, this unity was championed in other nations, such as Spain (Cum multa, December 8, 1882), but with similarly negative results. This led to the encyclical Graves de communi (January 18, 1901), which, although universal in character, expressly cited Italian Catholics. It reaffirmed the bishops’ guidance for the Opera dei Congressi and baptized the expression “Christian democracy,” but stripped it of any political meaning or rebellion against ecclesiastical or civil authority (p. 75).

Any Form of Government

With the encyclical of November 1, 1885, Immortale Dei, on the Christian constitution of states, Leo XIII reiterated some of the guidelines contained in the Diuturnum, reaffirming the Church’s acceptance of any form of government, as long as it is oriented toward the common good of its citizens. The pontiff added, “that the right to command is not necessarily linked to a form of government; but that in every form of government, rulers must respect God, the supreme head of the world (p. 79).”

Encyclical Libertas, 1888

The encyclical represented a clear departure from the guidelines of the Quanta cura and the Syllabus, which had warned Catholics against the rise of modern liberties. Leo XIII emphasized the value of liberty and showed appreciation for all that was good and true in modern aspirations. He then distinguished between the various forms of freedom. In particular, he recognized freedom of expression and of the press, with the necessary limits to prevent it from becoming a license (p. 80).

The Throne-Altar Alliance Is Over

Despite the negative outcome, the French experience demonstrated that Leo XIII had clearly realized that the days of the throne-altar alliance, of the mutual support between the Church and the absolute monarchy that had been the hallmark of the Ancien Régime, were over. Hence, his focus, rather than on pacts between visible heads, on the need for a living and participatory presence of the Catholic laity in the vast processes of transformation of civil society and the economy. (p. 87)

The Mediation of the Caroline Islands

“It is the most famous and best-known of the mediations of the Apostolic See, and Leo XIII was very keen to preserve its memory. Since the loss of the Papal States, one of the essential objectives of the Holy See was its recognition as a legal entity under international law. Some authors argued that without territory there was no State or sovereign. The Caroline Islands were used to vindicate the need for papal independence, and by the unitary Italian state, as proof that it was not, in fact, a prisoner of the Vatican and that its independence was guaranteed even if it lacked sovereignty. For the defenders of papal authority, it is proof that it enjoyed real sovereignty (p. 88).”

These notes and index cards are only a few sketches that give us a rough idea of ​​Leo XIII’s pontificate. We will understand more when Pope Leo XIV himself clarifies the meaning of the name he took. I join in the joy of the Catholic faithful and join in the prayers that filially wish to accompany his pontificate.