Pope Leo XIV greets people who record his every move on their phones as he marks the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with a meeting in the San Damaso Courtyard at the Vatican June 26. (CNS | Lola Gomez)
One of the most historic shifts I continue to witness in my lifetime is that of the papacy and modern media.
On occasion I have found myself searching YouTube for video of popes from the past. If the internet can be trusted in this regard, a quick search suggests Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) was the first to be captured on film. He was the first to experience his living visage shared around the world to be seen by those with the equipment to view it. I doubt that crossed the mind of our current Holy Father when he selected the name of Pope Leo XIV.
Nonetheless, unlike the predecessor his name invokes, the current Leo will have to navigate a world that communicates almost instantaneously, nearly at the speed of light.
There have always been charlatans and pirates, but today’s swindlers are breathtakingly bold. Their “tech-spertise” has reached a level of sophistication that is matched only by their audacity.