Pope Leo XIV has criticized how the salaries of chief executives dwarf these of their workers, singling out Tesla’s trillion-dollar compensation bundle for Elon Musk.
Leo, talking throughout his first sit-down media interview, cited revenue inequality as one of many components behind polarization in society.
“CEOs that 60 years ago might have been making four to six times more than what the workers are receiving … it’s (now) 600 times more than the average workers are receiving,” the first American pope mentioned.
The pope additionally referenced information experiences that Elon Musk was on monitor to turn into the world’s first trillionaire.
”What does that imply and what’s that about? If that’s the solely factor that has worth anymore, then we’re in huge hassle,” he continued.
Excerpts of the pope’s interview with Elise Allen, senior correspondent at Catholic information website Crux, on Sunday. She spoke to Leo on the finish of July for her forthcoming biography on the brand new pontiff.
In the wide-ranging interview, Leo admitted that he was on a “huge learning curve” in his position, admitting that changing into a scrutinized world leader was a “totally new aspect” to him and that he’s needed to “jump in on the deep end of the pool very quickly.”
He spoke about his hopes for an finish to the Russia-Ukraine struggle however lamented that the United Nations has “lost its ability to bring people together on multilateral issues.”
Leo was elected on May 8, changing into the first pope from the United States in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year historical past. Born in Chicago, he spent a big a part of his grownup life as a missionary and bishop in Peru and was then appointed by Pope Francis in 2023 to a senior place in the Vatican.
Since his election, Leo has signalled that he’ll proceed with Francis’ advocacy on social points together with migration, poverty and local weather change, albeit along with his personal model.
Leo, who has Peruvian citizenship, described himself in the interview as an American who nonetheless loves Peru. He mentioned he would in all probability assist Peru in a soccer match towards the United States have been they to play towards one another in the World Cup.
Sunday marked Leo’s seventieth birthday, which makes him a comparatively youthful pope provided that his final two predecessors have been a number of years older than him after they have been elected.
As he led the noon prayers from the balcony of St. Peter’s, a number of teams in the gang held up banners wishing him a cheerful birthday whereas a band performed him a birthday track. Leo thanked them for his or her good needs, alongside along with his dad and mom and “all those who have remembered me in their prayers.”