As 25 May approaches, all eyes are now turned with great anticipation to the Pontiff’s first encyclical, while the Vatican announces new foreign travels for Leo and what largely amounts to a re-run of the Synod on Synodality.
The launch of a new Pope’s first major text is always viewed with great interest, as a “tell” of the priorities of the new occupant of the See of Peter, along with his manner of governance. Pope Benedict issued his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, after eight months as Pope; Pope Francis published his first, Lumen Fidei, after only three months, partly because it had already been largely written by Benedict. Leo’s comes a little over one year into his reign and, as such, is more in line with his very measured, almost slow, approach to tackling issues. Entitled Magnifica Humanitas, the text is understood to be a weighty tome devoted to “the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence”.
