At the beginning, many feared that Leo XIV might embody a kind of "Pope of Silence": an anonymous pontificate, without force, almost absent. But the first months have shown something different—and far more radical: a Pope who chooses personal spoliation of the papal role, who refuses to build an image of himself as a charismatic leader in contrast with John Paul II, Benedict XVI, or Francis.
Through his gestures and words, Leo XIV seems to say: Don't look at me, look at the Church. He doesn't want to be remembered as the philosopher Pope, the theologian Pope, the communicator Pope, or the missionary Pope. He wants to be simply the Pope: the one who safeguards communion, who ensures fidelity to the Gospel, who steps back so that the Church may shine.
It's a way of understanding the Petrine ministry that can unsettle, because it runs counter to the logic of the media, which thrive on strong personalities, slogans, recognizable leaders. But precisely for this reason, it is prophetic.
A Lesson on the Manipulation of Words
The recent events offer a textbook example of how words can be manipulated. Pulling a phrase out of context, stripping it of its second half, and turning it into a scandalous headline means not only doing bad journalism, but above all showing disrespect for the Pope's thought—and for the truth itself.
Those who call themselves "conservatives" seized the chance to accuse Leo XIV of relativism and shirking concrete responsibilities. Those who identify as "progressives," on the other hand, read into his words a retreat from the Church's social engagement. In reality, both readings are partial and distorted.
The Pope does not deny that the Church must engage with the world—on the contrary, he insists that her voice must be heard. But he specifies that the Pope's role is not that of a head of state imposing solutions, but that of a servant ensuring the Church's voice is choral, synodal, universal.
Conclusion: Stop the Manipulation
In light of all this, the message is urgent and clear: let us stop manipulating the Pope's words. Stop using them as ideological weapons, as tools to reinforce prepackaged positions. Instead, accept the challenge of a pontificate that asks us to change our perspective: not a superstar Pope, not an omnipresent Pope, but a Pope who steps back so that the Church may emerge.
Leo XIV is not the Pope of silence, but the Pope of the essential. He is the one who reminds us that the center is not himself, but the Gospel. Not the leader who imposes, but the servant who makes room. Marco Baratto
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