at La Nova meets, Naples debates which Church will be that of Pope Leo XIV

What Church for Pope Leo XIV?At the June 4th event of La Nova Incontra in Naples, Professor Pasquale Giustiniani reflects critically on the first signals from the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. Drawing on Armando Poggi’s book Pianticelle divelte?, the discussion revives the deep tensions between the spirit of Vatican II and the Church's enduring clerical traditions. The early speeches of Pope Leo XIV highlight a strong focus on traditional family values, with repeated references to the heterosexual nuclear family as a societal foundation, echoing past popes like Paul VI and John Paul II. This emphasis appears to marginalize alternative family models, despite a rhetorical call to uphold the dignity of all people, including the most vulnerable. Giustiniani raises a philosophical warning: even a small error in foundational principles may lead to great distortions over time. Could the Pope’s early gestures signal a restrictive vision of the Church, resistant to renewal? The episode interrogates what kind of Church Pope Leo XIV may be shaping—one rooted in restoration, or open to the complex realities of contemporary humanity.