Leo XIV made those considerations in an encounter with the cardinals present in Vatican after the conclave that last Thursday chose him as 267 Pontiff of the Catholic Church.
In this same appointment he confirmed that he has adopted his potato name By the example of Leo XIII, author of the “historical” encyclical rerum novarumin which the social issue faced in the context of the first major industrial revolution.
The meeting, behind closed and of which the Holy See has reported through a statement, also served for a dialogue, requested by “many cardinals, according to Leo XIV to send him“ advice, suggestions and concrete proposals ”, some of which had already appeared in the days prior to the conclave, in the congregations of the purple.
Leo XIV said that these past days have been “painful” for Francisco’s death and transferred the cardinals who are “the closest collaborators” of the Pope, which leads him to accept “a yoke that clearly exceeds not only my strength, but those of any other”, in reference to his choice.
A Pope – said Robert Francis Prevost – is a humble servant of God, as his predecessors demonstrate, including Francisco“With its style of total dedication to service and sober essentiality of life.”
“Let’s collect this valuable inheritance and return to the way” of the previous pontiff, said Leo XIV, who stressed that these days he has felt “the strength of this immense community that, with so much affection and devotion, has fired and cried” to Francisco.
Along these lines, he expressed his desire to renew together “our full accession to the route that the universal church has been touring after the footprints of the Second Vatican Council.”
In this regard, he recalled that Francisco updated the contents of that council through the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, of which he highlighted some aspects.
Specifically, he mentioned “the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community growth in collegiality and synodality; popular piety; the love care of the weak and abandoned and the brave dialogue and confident with the contemporary world in its different components and realities.”
He explained that, feeling called that path, he thought about taking the name of Leo XIV.
To see more: live: Leo XIV explains the choice of his name for his commitment to the social issue
“There are several reasons, but the main one is because Leo XIII, with the historical encyclical Rerum Novarum, faced the social issue in the context of the first great industrial revolution and today the Church offers all its heritage of social doctrine to respond to another industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence, which behave new challenges in the defense of human dignity, of justice and work,” he said.
In his speech to the Cardinals, the American Pope evoked Paul VI, when in 1963 his pontificate began and said he hopes that “on the world a great flame of faith and love that enlighten all men of goodwill, raid out the paths of reciprocal collaboration.” EFE