ROME — ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV marveled on the “enormous studying curve” he has taken on as pontiff and likened some features of the job to leaping “in on the deep finish of the pool in a short time,” in excerpts of an interview launched Sunday on his seventieth birthday.
The pope additionally lamented widening earnings gaps between the working class and CEOs, recalling the current information that Elon Musk might be in line to turn out to be the world’s first trillionaire.
“If that’s the solely factor that has worth anymore, then we’re in huge bother,” Leo stated within the feedback, the pope’s first interview as historical past’s first American pope.
The feedback got here only a day after Musk’s brother’s firm, Nova Sky Tales, staged a lightweight present over the Vatican that includes 3,000 drones depicting pictures from the Sistine Chapel and even Pope Francis’ face.
The interview was carried out this summer season by Vatican correspondent Elise Ann Allen for her forthcoming biography of Leo. Excerpts had been printed Sunday on Allen’s Catholic information web site Crux, and within the El Comercio day by day of Peru.
Within the excerpts, Leo spoke about feeling each American and Peruvian, given his twin citizenship and 20 years of missionary expertise in Peru. He stated that have gave him nice appreciation of the Latin American church and Pope Francis’ ministry as historical past’s first South American pope.
Requested whether or not he would root for the U.S. or Peru in a future World Cup, Leo drew parallels to his childhood in Chicago and the worth of not shutting down opponents.
“Even at house, I grew up a White Sox fan, however my mom was a Cubs fan, so that you couldn’t be a type of followers that shut out the opposite facet,” he stated. “We realized, even in sports activities, to have an open, dialogical, pleasant and never offended aggressive stance on issues like that, as a result of we would not have gotten dinner had we been!”
Francis promoted Leo to a high job on the Vatican in 2023, making clear he seen him as a possible successor. However Leo stated he wasn’t absolutely ready for the job.
“There’s nonetheless an enormous studying curve forward of me,” he stated, including that he had discovered his footing as pastor, however that the problem was the job as world chief.
“On that one I needed to bounce in on the deep finish of the pool in a short time,” he stated.
The interview was launched Sunday as Leo marked his seventieth birthday, which was celebrated on the Vatican throughout his conventional midday blessing.
Leo noticed large “Glad birthday” banners, in English, Italian and Spanish, balloons and congratulatory indicators held up by the devoted gathered in St. Peter’s Sq.. Teams of Peruvian believers, together with dancers in conventional apparel, had been out in drive.
“Pricey buddies, it appears you recognize at the moment I’ve turned 70,” Leo stated to cheers. “I thank the Lord, my mother and father and all those that remembered me of their prayers.”
When he was elected final Could at age 69, the previous Robert Prevost was the youngest pope since 1978, when Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope John Paul II at age 58.
Many individuals within the sq. knew it was Leo’s birthday and wished him effectively, particularly given the burden of accountability he had taken on to run the Catholic Church.
“Properly, he positively wants loads of assist, as a result of he has to hold on a hold forth throughout a very troublesome interval, each for geopolitical points and definitely for inside issues,” stated Lorenzo Vecchio, a member of a Catholic college group within the piazza. “We’re actually completely satisfied that he’s a really younger pope.”
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Related Press video journalist Paolo Santalucia in Vatican Metropolis contributed to this report.
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