‘A LASTING PARADIGM’: The Legacy of Pope Leo XIII
- Feb 5
- 6 min read
RED MASS
St. Mary’s Cathedral
2 February 2026
Read full speech below:
This time last year for our Red Mass, the 266th successor to St. Peter was our pope.
Today Leo XIV is our pope, elected in May 2025.
I was ordained a bishop just a few days before the papal election and headed to Rome in September for what is known in Australia as the ‘Baby Bishops Conference.’
It was a fascinating experience. Approximately 200 of the world’s newest bishops, from all over the globe, were present.
Pope Leo XIV
The event culminated in meeting Pope Leo XIV for three hours.
He first gave an address in Italian, then he spoke at length to us in English, prefacing his remarks by saying, ‘No doubt you are as surprised as I am that we are in this room together.’
He spoke to us, not from a written text, about three things:
Prayer: we won’t make it as bishops unless our life of prayer deepens.
Teamwork: going it alone will not work. Working closely with clergy and lay people is key. I call it ‘forming a collective ego’ or ‘moving from self-interest to public interest.’
Sexual Fidelity: He was not speaking about child sexual abuse but about adult relationships. ‘Sexual infidelity by clergy leaves deep wounds in the Church,’ he told us. ‘We must be vigilant.’
Then followed a Q & A. The final hour was given over to photos. I was able to have a few brief words with him. It was delightful and engaging. He is someone who is entirely present to you when you speak.
A good friend asked me, ‘Have you got three words to describe him?’
I said, ‘He is sharp, intellectually and emotionally.
He is himself.
He is a man of God.’
Before our conference began, I had a few days in Rome with friends. One evening I was on the roof of Domus Australia and the Cardinal Archbishop of Johannesburg, (Stephen Brislin) was present. I asked him if he could tell us anything about the Conclave.
He said that the two weeks prior to the Conclave gave the cardinals a chance to get to know each other better, and in light of the challenges facing the world and the church, to outline the qualities they wanted in the new pope. He said that Cardinal Robert Prevost’s name was hardly mentioned.
They gathered for the first evening of the Conclave, sorted out practicalities, voted and then retired.
Next morning he returned to the Sistine Chapel and Cardinal Prevost was the ‘talk of the town.’ A fellow cardinal said to him that Cardinal Robert Prevost ticked all the boxes. That afternoon, he was elected pope in a rapid-fire conclave.
I said to the South African Cardinal, ‘So he emerged out of the shadows.’ ‘That’s it,’ he said, ‘it was the most tangible experience I have ever had of the Holy Spirit.’
Pope Leo XIII
The 267th successor to St. Peter has chosen the name Leo XIV, after Pope Leo XIII, who was the first truly modern pope.
Leo XIII did two things.
Elected in the throes of the Industrial Revolution in 1878, he reached back into the rich spiritual tradition of the Church and made it accessible.
A tradition that is alive after 500 years is impressive, so too a 2,000-year tradition. But our spiritual tradition is 4,000-years, from Abraham and Sarah, through Jesus of Nazareth – the one who is truly human and truly divine – to the 21st Century.
In the midst of the fluidity of the 19th Century he provided solidity. This is surely what Leo XIV has now embarked upon for the Church in the 21st Century.
Second, Pope Leo XIII faced the modern world with great confidence, embracing the changes in society, unlike his predecessor who thought that the Church could not possibly reconcile herself to modern political, economic and social forms of thought.
To be fair to Pope Pius IX, he was born in the heart of the French Revolution (1792), was elected pope in 1846, and died in 1878, the second longest pontificate, ‘pipped at the post’ by St. Peter.
The French Revolution and its aftermath, as you know, made life more than difficult for the Church. People either forget or don’t know that two popes ended up in gaol, and thousands of Catholic clergy and laity were martyred for refusing to shift allegiance to revolutionary authorities.
Pope Pius VI was arrested by Napoleon in 1798, dying in captivity 18 months later. Pope Pius VII was captured in 1809 by the French, not released until 1814. He promised Our Lady that he would institute a feast of Our Lady Help of Christians if he were freed. He kept the promise.
Back to Pope Leo XIII.
He wrote the first modern social encyclical called Rerum Novarum, meaning ‘Of New Things.’ It is well known for its defence of the right to association and the rights of the working man, especially a just wage. These things were strongly defended in Australia by Cardinal Moran, our first Cardinal. They are important human rights and social values.
We note two important challenges that Leo XIII faced head on.
The Industrial Revolution created enormous disruption, with people vacating the land and descending upon the cities to find work. Agrarian societies gave way to industrial cities.
The other clear and present danger was disparity of wealth. Enormous amounts of wealth were created through industrialisation but held in the hands of a few.
The socialists, for their part, peddled the abolition of private property as the best way to achieve equity.
Leo XIII rejected socialism on both philosophical and practical grounds. His defence of the right to private property and its orientation to the common good is quite breathtaking.
He predicted that if countries took the route of abolishing the right to private property, then mass poverty would ensure. When the Berlin Wall came crumbling down in 1989, we witnessed confirmation of the Leonian prophecy. Not just poverty, but abject poverty: fiscal, financial, cultural and most especially spiritual. Countries are still dealing with these diabolical legacies.
1931 saw Pope Pius XI articulate the principle of subsidiarity with great clarity, defending the right to private initiative with great vigour.
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, Pope John Paul II published Centesimus Annus. He said that Rerum Novarum ‘created a lasting paradigm for the Church.’
Why is this the case?
Because after Leo XIII dispensed with utopian Marxist theory, he then focused his attention on the Church’s role and then the State’s role in modern societies.
In articulating these two responses, Leo XIII was helping us understand the foundation of free and fair countries.
With respect to the role of the Church in society, Leo XIII says the Church should:
Insist that temporal realities be viewed in the light of eternity.
Promote fraternity, friendship and goodwill, not antagonism, between different classes of people.
Teach that there is a clear distinction between the right to possession and the way we use our possessions. This is the right to private property and it orientation to the common good.
Promote the dignity of human work, whether it be intellectual or manual, after the example of Jesus himself.
Promote the deep connection between personal transformation and social transformation.
Be committed to the relief of poverty – in all its forms.
Leo XIII was a great Christian and a thorough realist. The Church has a role to play – a certain jurisdiction if you like – but so too the State. The work of the Church is critical, but insufficient in aiding free and fair societies. The State should:
Ensure that laws, institutions and administration of the commonwealth help produce public well-being and private property.
Protect and promote marriage and family life, since the State benefits with the flourishing of her citizens.
Promote all aspects of the common good, that is, all those conditions (e.g., health and education) that help individuals flourish.
Pursue justice, not partiality. This has become known as the principle of solidarity.
Defend the principle of subsidiarity, allowing intermediary institutions to flourish, not being suffocated by State intrusion.
Defend the right to private property.
Defend the right to religious freedom. It is the second most important human right – after the right to life itself – since it defends and promotes our right to search for and adhere to the meaning of life. As you know this is done so very, very well in our Constitution in Section 116. It says: No official religion. No compulsion in religion. No restriction on religion. No religious discrimination.
Pope John Paul II was right. Leo XIII provided a lasting paradigm.
We have been gifted with so much in our 4,000-year tradition.
That tradition helps each one of us to serve God in the public life of law, defending and helping so many people who come to us seeking help when they need it.
God bless each and every one of you.
St. Thomas More. Pray for us.
Amen.
Bishop Anthony Percy
2 February 2026
