By now, Pope Leo XIV's style of government seems quite clear. Above all, it seems clear that this style is his method. Nothing revolutionary. Every pontiff has had his own style, his own method, and this has been the basis on which their pontificates have been characterized. Francis's method, in the perception of public opinion, immediately distanced him from the papacy of Benedict XVI, and now the difference that is gradually taking shape, without conflict or emphasized contrasts, between the Argentine pontiff and the American one is clear.
A decisive component of Leone's method is his silent and imperceptible ability to clear the ground, to reclaim areas of conflict and antagonism, particularly where polarization has left deep and painful wounds. Since the beginning of his pontificate four months ago, the Pope has acted in this way—with this method—on numerous occasions, carefully avoiding protagonism. Many of these events have gone unnoticed, partly because the Pontiff is serious about maintaining a strict separation between his governance of the Church and the rules and mechanisms of the world of the media.
Governance
In Pope Leo XIV's agenda, as evidenced by the facts, that is, as seen from May to today, there are some very enlightening constants. It may seem paradoxical, but among these, one important point should be emphasized: Leo wants to make it clear that the Church has her own government, that despite the stormy seas outside and inside, Peter's boat has a helmsman at her head. This Church has a vision of the world, of its complexity, and of the many threats that undermine the very foundations of today's civilizations, and therefore Leo exhorts everyone, especially the hierarchy, to be able to respond to these great challenges. The Bishop of Rome, who in four months has received diocesan bishops in numbers rarely seen in the past, never ceases to remind his visitors that, “governing the diocese means pacifying, uniting what is divided, and preventing further divisions.” In several meetings, the Pope has always reiterated that “to govern is to shepherd, not to command,” and that, “true and creative effectiveness lies in witness, in acting with as few words as possible.”
Transparency
In addition to these thoughts of Pope Leo XIV, conveyed to various bishops who reported what they have heard, there are others that are no less decisive, such as the urgent need for transparency. The Holy Father has often reiterated this point, expressing it in interesting and promising ways. On the one hand, “transparency as a path to truth, as a breath capable of dispelling opacity and concealment,” and, at the same time, “transparency to eradicate the confusion that masquerades as ambiguous and imprecise words.” Various recent and authoritative testimonies confirm the priority Pope Leo gives to transparency, not only as an unavoidable condition for good governance but also, and perhaps above all, because it is indispensable for the credibility of the proclamation of the Gospel. The proclamation, the Pontiff seems to say, must be clear and lucid, and not even a comma can be used to misrepresent or confuse the faith and the faithful.
Looking ahead
Pope Leo has often urged us to look ahead. It is a teaching that attracts and inspires sharing. It would seem that his first Encyclical, currently in preparation, will be a teaching imbued with the invitation to look ahead. In the recent Angelus on Sunday, August 31, he returned to this exhortation, recalling that “humility is freedom from oneself” and that this freedom, "arises when the Kingdom of God and his justice have truly captured our interest and we can afford to look far ahead: not at our toes, but far ahead! Those who exalt themselves generally seem to have found nothing more interesting than themselves, and deep down they are very unsure of themselves. But those who understand that they are so precious in God's eyes, those who feel deeply that they are sons or daughters of God, have greater things to exalt themselves for and have a dignity that shines from within. It comes to the fore, it takes first place, without effort and without strategy, when instead of taking advantage of situations, we learn to serve."
[Source: Italian]
