The name Leo XIV is a tribute to Leo XIII, Pope between 1878 and 1903, who made himself known for his commitment to social questions and workers' rights during the second industrial revolution.
The Catholic Church, he says, has an important role to play "in order to meet yet another industrial revolution and the development within artificial intelligence which implies new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and work".
He thus follows his predecessor Pope Francis, who also lifted the threat from AI and argued for regulation through an international agreement.
"Humble Servant"
In front of the cardinals, who on Thursday elected him as the 267th Pope in order, the 69-year-old American emphasized that the job as the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics is about being a "humble servant".
Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, was appointed cardinal in 2023 by the recently deceased Francis. In his speech, he referred again and again to his predecessor and says he intends to follow in his footsteps with "full dedication to service".
The Church, he explains, should stand for inclusion and take care of "the weak and the rejected".
The Same Motto
As Pope, he chooses the motto "In illo uno unom" ("In him we are one"), words uttered in a sermon by Saint Augustine, who lived 354–430 after Christ, to explain that "even though we Christians are many, we are one in the one Christ".
The Augustinian monk Prevost had the same motto during his time as bishop in Peru.
On Sunday, the Pope is expected to lead believers in prayer from the balcony of St. Peter's Church. On May 18, he will hold his inaugural mass on St. Peter's Square, which is expected to attract world leaders and tens of thousands of pilgrims.
