There’s a lot of speculation about what the newly-elected Pope Leo XIV intends to do. That all remains to be seen, but we know a lot about the historic pope that was his namesake. Pope Leo the 13th was one of the most important pontiffs in the long history of Holy Mother Church. In this video discussion, I sit down with my friend John Tuturice, a well-read Catholic with a master’s degree in both theology and philosophy to discuss the legacy of Leo XIII.
Our conversation focuses on:
*Social justice, as defined in the Catholic sense, given Leo XIII’s authorship of Rerum Novarum, the late 19th-century encyclical that jumpstarted what we know today as Catholic social teaching. John and I discuss what it means, what it doesn’t mean, and we put it in the context of labor-management relations as they exist today in the United States.
*Americanism is a set of ideas that were percolating in the late 19th-century American Church and were roundly shot down by Leo XIII. In light of the first American pope choosing Leo as his name, this subject seems particularly pertinent.
*The St. Michael Prayer is the aspect of Leo XIII’s legacy that ordinary Catholics come into contact with every Sunday, as its the prayer that concludes the Mass. Leo is the pope who composed that prayer as a response to an apocalyptic vision that ties into Fatima and the bloodshed of the 20th century. We discuss what his vision entailed, and how it’s been tragically confirmed so many times over.
Thanks to John for joining me, and I hope everyone can enjoy listening to the conversation as much I enjoyed talking with him about the legacy of one of the Church’s most underrated popes.
***************************************
THE ECONOMIC FRONT
Leo XIII’s social justice teaching was particularly solicitous of hardworking people who are trying to own something of their very own. These kinds of people in today’s America have gone through a very difficult time since 2020. But there is good economic news continuing to break through…
Gas prices are back under control
Inflation more broadly is back under control
The stock market is back and rolling along
There’s still a long way to go in the quest to get an economy that’s truly recovered. But in 4-plus months, a tourniquet has been applied to the bleeding, the patient has stabilized, and rehab can begin.
*********************************
SUPPORT CORNED BEEF CATHOLICISM
If you like the content here, the best way to help is to share and forward with like-minded people (and even a friendly adversary if they’re open-minded)
*Second, encourage people to subscribe. Our subscriptions here are free, so there’s no content behind a paywall.
I wrote a novel back in 2003 that was set in a fictional Irish Catholic neighborhood in postwar Boston. It’s still online at Amazon, in both print and electronic formats. The novel celebrates Catholic teaching, old-school populist politics (in an era when the Democratic Party was home to my kind of voter), the Boston Red Sox and Notre Dame football. In the worlds of faith, sports, and politics, it captures what I believe.
You can buy the book here:
I’ve also set up a “tip jar” over at the website Buy Me a Coffee. If you find an article or video particularly informative or enjoyable, you can leave an electronic tip.
Finally, while I’ve gotten active in politics because events of the last five years have shown that we have to protect ourselves, my first interest remains sports. I’ve got a nostalgia website, OUAT Sports, which is regularly updated with historical articles and includes a blog on current games. If you or someone you love is a sports fan, bookmark the site, and sign up for the free Substack associated with it
Share this post