That was the question posed to the Church of Rome in the wake of the Second Vatican Council by the eminent Reformation historian, Heiko Oberman. And that is the question that I would like to pose to my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters in the wake of election of Pope Leo XIV, particularly in response to a recent Commonweal symposium on the new pope (July/August 2025, pp. 22-31). In the language of the comic books of my childhood: what’s up, guys?
I write with this arbitrary-sounding – or perhaps just plain arbitrary – premise. If the driving theme of Reformation theology has typically been faith and works, the driving theme of Roman Catholicism has typically been hierarchy and community. It’s the latter that interests me here. For what well may be very good reasons, has the community theme now totally taken over Roman Catholic theology?
While it would be foolish to summarize the rich and insightful Commonweal essays about the new pope, I nevertheless detected a single theme that united them all: the challenge of moving toward a more authentic global human community, with, if I may coin a phrase, peace and justice for all. As one of the Commonweal essayists, Terence Sweeney, announced: “If the charism of the Augustinians is the building of community, then the charism of Leo XIV [an Augustinian] – especially in taking up Catholic social thought – will be to restore a sense of community in the Church and among all people of good will.”(31) Sweeny then cites Leo XIV’s papal motto, in illo Uno unum, “in the One, we are one.” A powerful and ancient Christian theme, in my humble view. But, if that’s it – a critically important “if” – then something critical is missing.
What has become of the earth? What has become of the whole cosmos? Not for nothing did the last pope take the name of St. Francis. Not for nothing was his most important encyclical entitled Laudato Si’, claiming the vision of the great saint from Assisi as his own. Has the Church of Rome now pivoted away from the cosmic theology announced by Pope Francis back to the anthropocentric theology of modern Catholic social teaching prior to Pope Francis?
Sure, with the challenges of AI and a still powerful and often vicious global class struggle, the world desperately needs the witness of modern Catholic social teaching. But as even school children can understand these days, it will all be for naught, if the good Earth is allowed to be destroyed in the process. You can’t have justice for all, if the earth has gone to hell.
Has Laudato Si’ now become yet another Catholic social teaching? One among many, to be referred to in passing, along the way? Do you, Peter, truly love the earth? Quo vadis, Petri?
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