Not a “Pope of Silence”, but a Pope of Spoliation

Many initially feared that Leo XIV might embody a sort of "Pope of Silence": an anonymous pontificate, lacking in impact, almost absent. But the first months revealed something different and more radical: a Pope who chooses to personally strip away the papal role , who refuses to build an image of himself as a charismatic leader to rival John Paul II, Benedict XVI, or Francis.

Leo XIV seems to say with his gestures and words: 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 simply wants to be the Pope , the one who safeguards communion, who guarantees fidelity to the Gospel, who steps back so that the Church can shine.

It's a way of understanding the Petrine ministry that can be disconcerting, because it goes against the grain of the media's logic, which loves strong personalities, slogans, and recognizable leaders. But precisely for this reason, it is prophetic.

A lesson in word manipulation
The recent events are a textbook example of how words can be manipulated. Taking a sentence out of context, stripping it of its second half, and turning it into a sensational headline is not only bad journalism, but above all a disrespect for the Pope's thinking and for the truth itself.

Those who call themselves "conservative" have seized the opportunity to accuse Leo XIV of relativism and of shirking concrete responsibilities. Those who call themselves "progressive" have instead interpreted the phrase as a step backward from the Church's social commitment. In reality, both interpretations are partial and distorted.

The Pope does not deny that the Church must care for the world: on the contrary, he reiterates that its voice must be heard. But he specifies that the role of the Pontiff is not that of a head of state who imposes solutions, but rather that of a servant who ensures that the voice of the Church is unanimous, synodal, and universal.

Conclusion: Stop manipulating
In light of all this, a clear invitation is urgently needed: let's stop manipulating the Pope's words . Let's stop using them as ideological weapons, as tools to reinforce our preconceived positions. Instead, let's 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 withdraws so that the Church can emerge.

Leo XIV is not the Pope of silence, but the Pope of the essential. He is the one who wants to remind us that the center is not himself, but the Gospel. Not the leader who imposes himself, but the servant who leaves space. Not the politician who seeks immediate solutions, but the pastor who safeguards the communion and the word of the Church.

A Pope who vanishes so that Christ remains.

Marco Baratto