Drew Mariani reflected on the deep meaning behind names, especially when it comes to popes. When Pope Leo XIV chose “Leo,” Drew couldn’t help but think back through history: from Leo the Great, who literally stood down Attila the Hun, to Leo XIII, one of Drew’s personal favorites, who laid the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching.

📜 A Legacy That’s About More Than History

Drew and his guest, Dr. Kenneth Craycraft, had a rich conversation about how Leo XIV isn’t just reviving an old name for nostalgia’s sake. This Pope seems to be picking up the same torch Leo XIII carried: the one that shines light on how Catholic teaching meets the real challenges of the world. Back in 1891, it was the industrial revolution. Today, it’s AI, automation, and the threat they pose to jobs, dignity, and our sense of purpose.

Dr. Craycraft talked about how Rerum Novarum, Leo XIII’s groundbreaking encyclical, was about people. And Pope Leo XIV seems ready to do the same in our time, calling out the social consequences of tech and reminding us that Catholic moral teaching is incredibly relevant.

A Teacher and a Bridge Builder

What struck Dr. Craycraft is how Leo XIV seems ready to lead not just with clarity, but with real humility. He’s a teacher, yes, but also just… approachable. (Kind of like Pope John Paul II in his warmth) He’s already showing he wants to be a bridge builder within the Church, but also between the Church and the wider world.

There’s this evangelist’s heart in him too. He spent years in Peru doing just that. Dr. Craycraft pointed out that evangelists don’t just stop being evangelists when they become the Pope, and you can already sense that Leo XIV is going to keep reaching out.

🌍 A Pope for This Moment

Pope Leo XIV seems to understand that we’re on the edge of something big… maybe even unsettling, with AI and tech transforming life as we know it. Instead of shying away, he’s stepping in, offering the Church’s deep moral wisdom to guide us through it.

There’s something steadying about a Pope who’s grounded in tradition but not afraid to speak into the future, with clarity, humility, and a heart for unity.

 

 

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