Pope Leo XIII & the Meaning Behind the Name

The new American pope chose the name Leo XIV—signaling a continuation of Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum legacy

Habemus papam! As the world begins to absorb the news that we have our first American Pope, I am stunned by the name he chose.

Cardinal Robert Prevost chose the name Leo XIV—and declared his hope to the world for continuing the legacy of Pope Leo XIII.

To choose Leo is to take a stand.

Leo XIII was the first pope to really engage with modernity—and the first to lay the foundation for the Church’s social teaching that stands as a bulwark against injustice everywhere. 

For those who need some brushing up on this revolutionary pope, here’s why this is so important.

A Turning Point in Church History

Before Pope Leo XIII, the Catholic Church had largely resisted engaging with the modern world on its own terms. The world was rapidly changing: no more was the agricultural, family-centered life the norm. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing: people were fleeing the land to find jobs in the city. Poverty was running rampant. Workers, including children, were being callously exploited as factories became the new norm. There was no regulation on working conditions. Marxism was on the rise. 

Leo XIII saw all of this—and did something unprecedented.

In 1891, he issued one of the most significant documents in Catholic history: Rerum Novarum (“On the Condition of Labor”).

This encyclical was a prophetic response to the social crisis of his time—defending workers' rights, affirming the dignity of labor, and upholding the right of workers to form unions. Leo condemned both unregulated capitalism and socialist collectivism, calling for a third way grounded in human dignity, the common good, and justice.

Here are just a few of the bullet points this encyclical stood for.

Rerum Novarum Summary:

1. The dignity of the worker

“The first thing to secure is to save unfortunate working people from the cruelty of men of greed, who use human beings as mere instruments for money-making. It is neither just nor human so to grind people down with excessive labor as to stupefy their minds and wear out their bodies."

— Rerum Novarum, §42

2. No one may stand in the way of someone flourishing–even yourself

“All persons are equal; there is no difference between rich and poor, master and servant, ruler and ruled, "for the same is Lord over all." No one may with impunity outrage that human dignity which God treats with great reverence, nor stand in the way of that higher life which is the preparation of the eternal life of heaven. Nay, more; no person has in this matter power over themself. To consent to any treatment which is calculated to defeat the end and purpose of their being is beyond their right; they cannot give up their soul to servitude, for it is not an individual’s own rights which are here in question, but the rights of God, the most sacred and inviolable of rights.”

— Rerum Novarum, §40

3. The right to a living wage

“Wages should be sufficient to maintain [the worker and their] family in reasonable comfort. If through necessity or fear of a worse evil the worker accepts harder conditions because an employer or contractor will give him no better, they are made the victim of force and injustice. To defraud anyone of wages that are his due is a great crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven. There underlies a dictate of natural justice more imperious and ancient than any bargain between humans.”

— Rerum Novarum, §45; 20

4. The right of workers to organize (form unions)

“To enter into a 'society' of this kind is the natural right of man; and the State is bound to protect natural rights, not to destroy them.”

— Rerum Novarum, §51

5. Employers are bound to promote work-life balance

“In all agreements between employers and workers there should always be allowed proper rest for soul and body. To agree in any other sense would be against what is right and just; for it can never be just or right to require the giving up of those duties which a person owes to God and to themself. [An employer’s] great and principal duty is to give everyone what is just.”

— Rerum Novarum, §42, 20

6. The State has an obligation to protect the vulnerable

“When there is a question of defending the rights of individuals, the poor and badly off have a claim to special consideration. The richer class have many ways of shielding themselves, whereas the mass of the poor… must chiefly depend upon the assistance of the State. And it is for this reason that wage-earners, since they mostly belong in the mass of the needy, should be specially cared for and protected by the government.”

— Rerum Novarum, §36

Justice is Personal & Systemic

Leo XIII insisted that the Church stand where Jesus stood: with the poor, the forgotten, the struggling. He called for justice that was personal and systemic, economic and spiritual. He laid the groundwork for later teachings by John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis—all of whom have echoed his core themes of solidarity, subsidiarity, and the preferential option for the poor.

Each one built upon Leo’s vision: that the Gospel speaks not only to individual souls but also to systems, structures, and societies.

In a Church often slow to respond to social change, Leo XIII was bold. And by taking his name, Pope Leo XIV may be signaling his own commitment to walking that same road—speaking clearly into the suffering and upheaval of our own time.

“A Bridge” to the World

In his first remarks as Pope, Leo XIV said he hopes to be “a bridge"—between peoples, between wounds, between generations and hopes. It’s a striking image. And it sounds a lot like what Leo XIII tried to be in his time: a bridge between the ancient wisdom of the Church and the new realities of modern life.

If this new papacy carries forward the vision of Rerum Novarum, we may be in for a renewed moral voice—one that speaks not only to the heart, but also to the street, the workplace, the ballot box, and the margins. One that dares to name injustice. One that builds bridges rather than battlements.

And if that’s what this name means, then we may have just seen the beginning of something quietly seismic.

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Kelly Deutsch specializes in audacity. Big dreams, fierce desires, restless hearts. When spiritual adventurers are hungry for unspeakably more, she offers the space to explore contemplative depths and figure out where they fit in the vast spiritual landscape. She speaks and writes about divine intimacy, emotional intelligence, John of the Cross, trauma-informed spiritual practice, and neuropsychology. Kelly offers spiritual direction, coaching, contemplative cohorts, and retreats. She is the bestselling author of Spiritual Wanderlust: The Field Guide to Deep Desire. When she isn’t exploring the interior life, you might find her wandering under Oregonian skies or devouring red curry.