Before returning to the next paragraph in Pope Benedict’s document on Christian hope, Spe salvi, it is worth taking a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the newest successor of St. Peter, newly elected Pope Leo XIV. As a sort of humorous aside, since I do not normally write with Roman numerals, I fully expect to make the mistake of transposing the numbers for his name since I have become so accustomed over the years to typing the same letters used for Pope Benedict’s name, though in a different order. So if I accidentally put XVI instead of XIV, I hope you will be patient with me!
After watching the announcement of the new pope, I found myself reading and listening to people talk about the new Holy Father. He only spoke briefly when he came out on the loggia to offer his first Urbi et orbi (to the city and to the world) blessing. I listened to a podcast early the next morning that commented on a variety of things regarding his track record, and what we might expect during his papacy. But as I said, those were words about him, they were not words from him. Later that morning, I came across the homily that he preached earlier that day to the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. After reading it, I was put at ease, for I had now heard from the pope himself. I was encouraged at what I read, and there was a section from his homily that really resonated with me. In speaking about the challenges we face in our present time with preaching the Gospel, he said:
Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.
These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed. A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society. (Pope Leo XIV, Holy Mass with the College of Cardinals, 9 May 2025)
In many ways, this acknowledgment of the challenges being faced is very much in line with what we have been considering over the past two weeks from Spe salvi. The relatively modern shift away from faith toward science and reason has made the Good News seem less and less relevant, and even foolish to the world’s “more advanced” understanding and sensibilities.
In the next paragraph for our consideration in Spe salvi, Pope Benedict notes that “two categories become increasingly central to the idea of progress: reason and freedom.” (Spe salvi, 18) But reason and freedom, according to these modern thinkers “were tacitly interpreted as being in conflict with the shackles of faith and of the Church as well as those of the political structures of the period.” (ibid.)
From the first homily of Pope Leo, it is encouraging that he sees clearly what Pope Benedict is emphasizing as to what continues to be a threat to the spread of the Gospel message in our modern times. And thanks be to God, the Holy Father is not willing to back down from the challenge. In his homily, he is encouraged the Cardinals to join in this effort to faithfully proclaim the Gospel in the midst of difficult settings. Of course, this is something to which we are all called. He said as much in the words he addressed to the world that afternoon of his election:
All of us are in God’s hands. So, let us move forward, without fear, together, hand in hand with God and with one another other! We are followers of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge that can lead us to God and his love. Help us, one and all, to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, joining together as one people, always at peace. (Pope Leo XIV, First “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing of the Holy Father, 8 May 2025)