Maybe Better than “Not Terrible?”
Published at 12:23 on 8 May 2025
Sometimes, you can tell a lot from a name.
This was certainly the case for Leo XIV’s predecessor. The instant the name “Francis” was uttered, it became obvious to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Catholic history what sort of pope he would probably be.
It’s not nearly so obvious, but I think think the name “Leo” might be similarly telling. The last pope to take this name was instrumental in developing many of the contemporary social teachings of the Catholic church, particularly those with respect to the rights of workers.
In choosing a name that is both traditional and associated with reformism, this pope might be saying that he will be less of an innovator than his predecessor, but is still very much grounded within the more liberal tradition of the Catholic church, and will defend those aspects of church doctrine.
We shall see.
And yes, this is all more in the vein of damage avoidance than anything. But damage avoidance is not nothing. Imagine the harm someone like Cardinal Erdő (Hungarian, staunchly traditionalist, closely allied with the neofascist government there) could have done as pope.