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Radical Changes by Pope Leo-XIV

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan | 25-Jun-2025

 

I watched a very inspirational and thought-provoking video on Pope Leo. The narrator mentions that the new Pope, soon after assuming the office of papacy, has made radical changes in the Catholic Church that are sending shock waves to the Catholics, especially the clergy.

 

Based on his missionary experiences in Peru, his visit to a village near Amazon rainforest and the pastoral experience in Chicago the Pope seems to have made certain radical changes. The narrator lists ten incredible changes that the new Pope has made

• Every single bishop in the Catholic Church must walk barefoot at least once in a year during public procession, not inside some fancy/palatial cathedral but on the streets where homeless people sleep, where children play and where common people live their lives.
• The pope has opened the Vatical garden, the most exclusive real estate in the world, to the homeless people to spend their night every day. They are given warm food and clean blankets. The homeless people are given “safety” which they never got for many years. The invisible people are now seen.
• The pope has opted to wear simpler clothes, chain, cross and shoes. For the pope, people are hungry for truth and not fabric.
• The pope has started using more inclusive language such as “brothers and sisters” and “gender-neutral words” in church prayers and liturgies. This is a simple acknowledgement that God’s family includes everyone.
• The pope has launched “Green Vatican Initiative” to make the Vatican City completely carbon neutral by 2030. This will be done through solar energy, reducing waste, planting trees and cutting down on plastic and pollution. According to the pope the earth is God’s gift and we must protect it. Caring for environment is not just science but it is faith and action.
• The pope is giving the “decision-making authority” to local dioceses. The pope wants the local bishops to handle things like language, worship styles, cultural practices and pastoral needs. The local bishops must serve their people in the way that fits them best. The pope said, “You cannot lead a village from the balcony in Rome. You must be close enough to hear their voice.”
• The pope wants the Catholics to focus on “dialogue with other religions”. He has started creating new councils for this purpose. He said, “Faith must not be used to build walls but it should be used to build tables.”
• The pope has insisted on regular audits and key financial reports to be made available to the public each year. The pope said, “If we ask the faithful to give with open hearts, then, we must manage those gifts with open books.”
• The pope is creating global youth councils made up of young Catholics from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. He wants the youth to give their feedback to church leaders on faith, technology, education, mental health and other issues that matter to their generation. The pope said, “Too often we preach to the youth without asking them what they see, how they feel and what they hope for. We cannot lead the young without listening to them. Listening to young people is not a sign of weakness but it is a sign of wisdom. A church that speaks to youth is strong but a church that listens to youth will last.”
• The pope wants to bring back the “traditional confessions”. He reminded people that confession is not something to fear, it is something that heals the heart. He said, “confession is not just about saying sorry, it is about being seen forgiven and set free.” The pope wants every confessional, big or small; old or new to become a place where people find peace again.

As per the narrator these ten changes, in a short period of his papacy, are reshaping the Catholic Church from barefoot bishops to homeless people sleeping in Vatican gardens; from simpler papal clothing to more inclusive language; from environmental action to financial transparency; from listening to other faiths to empowering young voices; from trusting local churches to bringing back the healing power of confession. These are not just administrative changes. They are reflections of life devoted to humility, service and faith.

What we need to understand is that none of these changes happened by accident. Every single one comes from real experience, a real moment when the pope learned as a priest that would stay with him forever.

• The barefoot processions come from bleeding feet on a rocky road in Peru.
• The Vatican gardens for the homeless comes from a shivering man on church steps in Chicago.
• The simple clothing comes from serving food at the back of the room instead of sitting at the head table.
• The inclusive language comes from an elderly woman who finally heard herself in prayer.
• The environmental focus comes from a little girl could not pray under trees because they were all gone.

As the world watches one question remains: “How will these changes shape the future of the church?” The answer lies in what pope Leo really represents. He is not trying to destroy tradition. He is trying to return to the original tradition of Jesus Christ walking with the poor, caring for the outcast, living simple life, speaking truth, protecting creation, building bridges instead of walls. For the pope true change does not begin in marble halls. It begins where feet are bare, hands are open and hearts are finally heard.

Points/questions for introspection:

• In the Indian context, I could recall the life of late Bishop Saupin who tried to think, speak and live with the people. He tried to build a tribal church in the diocese of Daltonganj. But I am sad to note that what he built has been dismantled and a “Roman Catholic Church” is being built today.
• How many cardinals, arch/bishops, priests and nuns in India have “really seen and understood” what the new pope is doing and saying?
• Is it not high time for the church authorities as well as the laity to understand what pope Leo is saying/doing, do sincere introspection, and build a true Indian church?

 

 

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