3 Big Things from Our Previous Pope Leo

If our new Pope is modelling himself on Pope Leo XIII, can we expect a return to the philosophy of the Angelic Doctor in the seminaries?

From One Peter Five

By Mike Schramm

3 important contributions of Leo XIII’s pontificate.

By now you are probably already aware that our current Pope, Leo XIV, chose his name to create a sense of continuity with the last pope who chose the name Leo. Pope Leo XIII reigned from 1878-1903 and addressed the burgeoning rise of influential and destructive ideological movements in the Church and the world. Leo XIV too is faced with similar challenges both inside and outside the walls of the Church. In order to understand our current Leo better, let’s take a look at three important contributions of Leo XIII’s pontificate:

St. Michael prayer (1890)

What is almost certainly the most popular contribution from Pope Leo XIII is the St. Michael Prayer, which is prayed by millions of Catholics around the world every day. This prayer, which emphasizes the reality and importance of spiritual warfare, was composed after a reported vision by Pope Leo XIII about the work of Satan in the coming century.

Because St. Michael has a special role in the Bible as the defender of Israel in the Old Testament (Daniel 12:1) and as the angel that threw Satan out of heaven in the New Testament (Revelation 12:7-9), it makes sense that a prayer for his defense of the Church would be written.

There is clearly a need for defense in our own spiritual battles against the Devil, but there is a growing, collective need of St. Michael’s defense, especially as many in historically Christian countries turn away from Jesus and the Church. St. Michael, along with our own guardian angel, and all the angels and saints in heaven are continuing to praise God while they protect and guide us through this life so we can spend eternity with Him. Let us not forget the reality of spiritual warfare and the power of our prayers have in the battle for souls!

As it happens, Pope Leo XIV was elected on the “other feast” of St. Michael, that of his apparition on May 8. Perhaps this is a connection, perhaps not.

Rerum Novarum, “Of New Things” (1891)

This short encyclical is considered the foundational document of modern Catholic Social Teaching. In it, Leo XIII upholds the positive Christian goods of human work and private property. He also addresses the rise of unjust economic systems and the temptation they create to undermine human dignity.

The world at this time was experiencing the Industrial Revolution, which brought about incredible technological creations when it comes to production of goods but also saw new ways that workers, especially factory workers, were being mistreated. On the opposite end, this led to many rejecting the goodness of work itself or the economic systems they felt were responsible for this exploitation of workers. Pope Leo XIII and Rerum Novarum sought to balance the difficult extremes that the world was presenting when it comes to the economy, politics and human dignity.

Rerum Novarum was accessible to non-theologians and has been praised by Catholics and non-Catholics for its reasonable approach to human work and human life. It has been used by great Catholics like Hillaire Belloc and G.K. Chesterton to develop a more Catholic economy, quoted by numerous popes since Leo XII including Pope St. John Paul II, and continues to be applied by Catholics today in the business and political world. Let us continue to use the “new things” of this period of history to praise God and serve others as best as we can!

Aeterni Patris, “Eternal Father” (1879)

This other short encyclical from Pope Leo XIII is subtitled “On the Restoration of Christian Philosophy” and highlights the work of St. Thomas Aquinas in this regard. Even though St. Thomas’s greatest and most well-known work is on “theology” (Summa Theologiae), it is firmly grounded in philosophical reasoning. This is important when it comes to how the Church reaches out to non-Catholics.

While many reject or ignore various Church teachings because they are seen as “just for Catholics,” when these teachings can be shown to have strong philosophical foundations (like the ones Aquinas provides) they can become more acceptable to non-Catholics. This is because philosophy does not require one to accept the inspiration of the Bible or the authority of the Church.

This not only presents a strong case for the Catholic Faith as a whole, but it also allows the Church to serve those even when they do not accept every part of Catholic theology. The philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas can actually build bridges now just like it did during his own time.

St. Thomas was known in his philosophy for recognizing the truth that could be found even in non-Christian thinkers like Avicenna, who was Muslim, and Maimonides, who was Jewish. St. Thomas Aquinas is still considered one of the greatest teachers on the works of Aristotle, who was a pagan philosopher before the time of Jesus.

Emphasizing the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas in Christian education was a priority for Leo XIII and would benefit the Church greatly if it was prioritized by Leo XIV as well. Let’s use the beauty of learning and truth to build bridges with others to help them see the Truth of Jesus Christ!

It would not surprise me if Pope Leo XIV, in a similar spirit to his namesake’s predecessor, also emphasizes the importance of spiritual warfare, human dignity and Christian education (especially the role of philosophy). All of these matters are essential to our human nature and to the mission of the Church.

Let us thank God for our current Leo, our past Leos, and all of our saintly popes who have sought to proclaim, like our first one did, that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16).