“Housing, work and land are sacred rights, it is worthwhile to fight for them, and I would like you to hear me say ‘I am here,’ ‘I am with you!’”. Leo XIV received the members of Popular Movements in audience for the first time, in the Paul VI Hall, on the occasion of their Fifth World Meeting. In his address, the Holy Father gave renewed impetus to the words of Pope Francis and, drawing on Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, analysed the “new things” of our age, shedding light on their contradictions from the perspective of the peripheries of society. Terms such as fentanyl and coltan were heard for the first time in his speech. The Pope went on to decry, once again, the “globalisation of powerlessness”, urging states and world powers to change course. “The new things that stand out are self-driving cars, the latest fashion items, cutting-edge mobile phones, cryptocurrencies and similar things,” reads the opening of the Pope’s lengthy speech, his most intense and impassioned to date, comparable to the opening lines of an encyclical, met with a prolonged round of applause. However, he remarked, things appear different from the peripheries and require solutions in “a society dominated by unjust systems”. What is needed are not microprocessors or biotechnology, but rather the craftsmanship of “social poets”, “champions of solidarity in diversity”, as they once again take up the cause of land, housing and work, walking together from the community centre Spin Time to the Vatican.
“The Church is here with you: a poor Church for the poor; a Church that reaches out; a courageous, prophetic and joyful Church!”
exclaimed Leo XIV. For the Pope, embracing this vision is the antidote to “a widespread structural indifference” that fails to recognise the plight of peoples who suffer exploitation, plundering, and who have been forced into poverty. He urged political leaders to oppose the “globalisation of powerlessness” by embracing “a culture of reconciliation and commitment”, reminding them that the poor are not “collateral damage.”
“Until the plight of the poor is resolved once and for all by rejecting unbridled market autonomy and financial speculation, and by tackling the structural causes of inequality, there will be no solution to the world’s problems,” remarked Pope Leo. “Inequality is the root cause of all social ills.”
For Pope Leo, “the dynamics of progress should always reflect an ethics of responsibility, overcoming the risk of idolatry and profit and always prioritising man and his integral development.” “We all share the same humanity, which is why we must ensure that ‘new things’ are dealt with appropriately,” he urged. “This issue should not rest solely with political, scientific or academic elite groups, as it concerns us all.” Pope Leo XIII is the role model, having been the first to make it absolutely clear “that the daily struggles for survival and social justice were of fundamental importance to the Church.”
“Exclusion remains the new face of social injustice”,
The Pope denounced: “The growing divide between a small minority – just 1% of the population – and the vast majority is striking. Our era is characterised by the paradox whereby, alongside access to new technologies spreading everywhere through globalised markets, vast numbers of people lack land, food, housing and decent work. Mobile phones, social networks and even artificial intelligence are easily accessible to millions of people, including the poor. Yet while increasing numbers can access the Internet, basic needs remain unmet.” In fact, the poor management of such technologies has produced “mixed results in all major areas of social life: while some countries and social sectors experienced positive outcomes, others suffered collateral damage.” The climate crisis is the clearest example of this, and it is always the poorest who suffer the most. “How can a financially disadvantaged young person have hope for an anxiety-free future when social media constantly glorifies unbridled consumption and unattainable financial success?” asked the Pope, who went on to denounce the scourge of digital gambling addiction. “Gambling platforms are designed to induce dependency and addictive habits,” he warned. Leo XIV further denounced the
“ambiguous, unethical” behaviour of the pharmaceutical industry, which “has fueled the devastating opioid addiction crisis, especially in the United States”, he said citing fentanyl, the death drug.
“Many of the technological devices we use today would not exist without coltan from the Democratic Republic of Congo.” Lithium is another example. “The competition among the great powers and large corporations for its extraction poses a serious threat to the sovereignty and stability of poor countries. In fact, some businesspeople and politicians openly admit to promoting coups and other forms of political destabilisation in order to lay their hands on lithium, ‘the white gold’.”
“The abusive treatment of vulnerable migrants does not amount to the legitimate exercise of national sovereignty. In fact, it is a serious crime committed or tolerated by States.”
“Increasingly inhumane measures are being adopted — even celebrated politically — to treat these ‘undesirables’ as if they were waste and not human beings.” “Your struggles for land, housing, and work in pursuit of a better world deserve recognition and support,” he concluded. “Yours is a legitimate and necessary quest. The Church supports you, and I intend to stand by you in this journey,” Prevost assured them.
