As Pope, in his role of “building bridges” and “not fueling further polarization” in the world and in the Church, he denounces the “terrible” situation in Gaza, to which “we cannot remain insensitive,” and affirms that the Holy See “does not currently believe” that “any declaration can be made” on the definition of genocide. He also asserts that he does not want to interfere in the politics of his native United States, but that he is not afraid to raise urgent issues, even with President Trump. Regarding China, he announces that he will continue the policies of the Holy See and his predecessors and, following the example of Francis, hopes to continue appointing women to leadership positions, while reiterating that he has no intention of changing Church doctrine on female ordination. The same is true for LGBTQ+ people: “All, all, all” are welcome, but “the Church’s doctrine will remain the same.” He describes abuse as a true crisis; he calls for maximum support for victims, but notes that false accusations have sometimes been made. Regarding the other “crisis,” the financial one, he asks people not to complain and instead to continue developing plans: “But it won’t keep me awake at night.”

Questions and answers on pressing issues for the Church and the world are featured in the first interview of Pope Leo XIV with Crux journalist Elise Ann Allen. Excerpts from the conversation were published in advance on September 14, Robert Francis Prevost’s birthday, as part of the biographical volume  Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century , published today, September 18, in Spanish by Penguin Peru.

The drama in Gaza

Among the first questions posed to the Pope was the situation in Gaza. “Although there has been some pressure” on Israel from the United States and despite some statements by President Trump, “there has been no clear response” to “alleviate the suffering of the population,” Pope Leo XIV emphasized. “This is very worrying,” given the conditions faced by so many people, especially children, who are suffering from “a real famine.” In the future, “they will need a lot of medical assistance, as well as humanitarian aid.” The Pope hopes that people will not become insensitive to what is happening in the Strip: “It is terrible to see those images on television… one cannot bear so much pain.”

The word “genocide”

Regarding the use of the word genocide, which is increasingly used in connection with the tragedy in Gaza, the Pope emphasized that “officially, the Holy See does not believe that any statement can be made on this matter at this time.” There is a very technical definition of what genocide could be. But more and more people are raising the issue, including two human rights groups in Israel that have issued this statement.

Relations with China

Continuing in the realm of geopolitics, Leo XIV looks to another global player: China. He asserts that he will continue “the policy that the Holy See has pursued for some years,” without claiming to be “wiser or more experienced” than his predecessors. He has long been in constant dialogue with various Chinese citizens and seeks a clearer understanding of how the Church can continue its mission, respecting both culture and political issues, as well as the significant group of Catholics who, for many years, have experienced a kind of oppression or difficulty in freely living their faith without taking sides. “It is a very difficult situation,” admits the Bishop of Rome.

American politics

Overall, the first American pope doesn’t believe his origins will have much influence on global dynamics. However, he hopes they will in his relationship with the American episcopate, where there has been friction with the previous pontificate: “Being American means, among other things, that people can’t say, as they did with Francis, ‘He doesn’t understand America, he just doesn’t see what’s going on.'”

Leo makes it clear: “I have no intention of getting involved in partisan politics.” And regarding his relationship with Trump, he states: “It would be much more appropriate for Church leaders in the United States to interact with him.” Of course, if there were specific issues to address, “I would have no problem doing so.” These include human dignity and migrants; the latter is a topic of concern to the Pontiff. In this regard, he recalls the letter sent by Pope Francis to all the bishops of the United States, in which he asked them to welcome those who came to the country in search of a better life. A “significant” gesture, according to Leo XIV, who was “very pleased to see how the American bishops have welcomed this idea.” “The United States,” he added, “is a powerful global player, we must recognize that, and sometimes decisions are made more based on economics than on human dignity.”

The Pope also recalled Trump’s recent statements, stating that he had no intention of meeting him, while, the head of state added, “your brother is a good person.” This was referring to his older brother, Louis, whom he received in the Oval Office a few days after the Conclave. “One of my brothers met him and was very open about his political views,” Pope Leo confirmed. He also spoke of Louis in another part of the interview, when, describing his relationship with his family (in addition to his older brother, also his second brother, John), he commented: “We remain very close, even if one of them is very distant politically.”

The abuse crisis in the Church

The interview devoted considerable space to the sexual abuse crisis in the Church. The Pope immediately emphasized that the crisis is still not resolved, and called for “great respect” for the victims, many of whom carry the wounds of abuse their entire lives. Leo XIV cites statistics showing that “more than 90% of those who come forward and make accusations are genuine victims.” That is, they are not making anything up. However, there are “proven cases of false accusations,” and some priests “have seen their lives destroyed.” Accusations “do not nullify the presumption of innocence,” Pope Leo emphasized. “Therefore, priests too must be protected, or the accused must be protected; their rights must be respected. But even saying so sometimes causes greater suffering to the victims.”

In any case, he explains, “the issue of sexual abuse cannot become the central focus of the Church”: “The vast majority of those involved in the Church—priests, bishops, and religious—have never abused anyone. Therefore, we cannot allow the entire Church to focus exclusively on this issue.”

Welcoming LGBTQ+ people

He also mentions the issues of LGBTQ+ people and women. On the first topic, the Pope explains that he does not want to promote polarization within the Church. He speaks of  Fiducia Supplicans , emphasizing that the essential message of the document is: “Of course, we can bless everyone, but we must not seek to ritualize any blessing.” Leo XIV certainly embraces Francis’ message of welcoming “everyone, everyone, everyone”: “All are invited,” not because of a “specific identity,” but because all are children of God. However, this does not imply a change in doctrine: “I consider it very unlikely, especially in the near future, that the Church’s doctrine will change regarding what it teaches on sexuality and marriage,” he states. That is, “a family composed of a man and a woman,” “blessed in the sacrament of marriage.”

The role of women

It won’t change. Not even the teaching on female ordination. The Pope states that he will “follow in Francis’ footsteps by appointing women to leadership positions at various levels of the Church’s life.” The “controversial” issue is that of so-called deaconesses, raised during the last session of the Synod: “For the moment, I have no intention of changing the Church’s teaching on this matter.”

The financial situation of the Holy See

The Pope’s stance on the Holy See’s financial situation is more open. His approach is pragmatic: “I’m beginning to have a clear idea,” he assures. He lists a series of detailed issues: the positive result of more than 60 million euros recorded in the APSA budget for 2024; the pension fund, “which must be examined” (“A universal problem”); the COVID-19 crisis that has affected the Vatican Museums, “one of the Vatican’s most important sources of income.” “We must avoid the bad decisions that have been made in recent years,” the Pope affirms, mentioning, however, the case of the London palace, at the center of a judicial process that has attracted “great publicity”: “How many millions have been lost because of this!” The Pontiff then speaks of the “significant measures” adopted during Francis’s pontificate to check and balance powers. However, we must be cautious about “relaxing and saying the crisis is over.” I think we need to keep working on it, but I’m not losing sleep over it, and I think it’s important to communicate a different message.

Reforms in the Curia

On the subject of reforms, Pope Leo announced “decisions” in the Roman Curia, such as “dismantling or transforming the isolated functioning of each Dicastery.” A kind of “compartmentalized mentality” has at times led to a lack of dialogue and communication. And this has, at times, been “very limiting and detrimental to the governance of the Church.”

The Latin Mass

The Pontiff also delves into the issue of the Tridentine Mass. It’s more than a question, it’s “a problem,” because some have used the liturgy as a “political tool.” This is “very unpleasant.” Soon, he says, an opportunity will arise to “sit at the table with a group of people who support the Tridentine rite,” and perhaps the problem can be resolved “with synodality.”

Fake news and artificial intelligence

Outside the Church, the Pope addresses the issue of “destructive” fake news and focuses on artificial intelligence, which is invested in by the “extremely rich,” completely ignoring the value of the human being. “The Church must intervene,” because there is a grave risk that “the digital world will go its own way” and we will all become “pawns.” In this regard, he recounts the anecdote of a person who asked permission to create an “artificial” Pope so that anyone could have a personal audience. “I said, ‘I won’t authorize it.’ If there’s anyone who shouldn’t be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is at the top of the list.”

Salvatore Cernuzio – Vatican News