In his first significant address on Catholic social teaching, Pope Leo XIV offers a nuanced vision of doctrine that signals potential shifts in tone and approach from his predecessor.
Speaking to members of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation at the Vatican today, the pontiff distinguishes sharply between “doctrine” and “indoctrination,” calling the latter “immoral” while reframing doctrine as a “common, collective and even multidisciplinary pursuit of truth.”
“Doctrine, as a serious, serene and rigorous discourse, aims to teach us primarily how to approach problems and, even more importantly, how to approach people,” Pope Leo tells the foundation members. “Seriousness, rigor and serenity are what we must learn from every doctrine, including the Church’s social doctrine.”
The American pope’s language appears to strike a different balance than his predecessor, who often criticized “rigorists” for their inflexibility. Leo instead reclaims and redefines rigor as a positive quality when paired with serenity and seriousness of purpose.
The pontiff emphasized that doctrine and dialogue or not only compatible, but together provide for a ‘’common, collective and even multidisciplinary pursuit of truth.”
