“Yesterday the news [reported] that Elon Musk is going to be the first trillionaire in the world.”

Pope Leo XIV not too long ago gave an interview for a soon-to-be-released biography titled Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century. In an interview with Crux, a Catholic information group, he touched on wealth inequality, peace, and the trendy papacy.

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During the dialog, he acknowledged international polarization and provided a frank evaluation of economic disparities.

The Pope questions Musk’s wealth

“Why is the world so polarized? What’s going on? I think there are a lot of elements that have led to this. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I certainly see the reality in some of the results,” he mentioned.

The Pope argued that financial inequality and the way society views the “value of human life” play a significant function in at the moment’s divisions. He pointed to CEO salaries, noting that many years in the past, leaders earned solely 4 to 6 occasions greater than staff, however now “it’s 600 times more than what average workers are receiving.

Moments later, Pope Leo shared his views on recent reports about Elon Musk’s projected wealth.

“Yesterday the news [reported] that Elon Musk is going to be the first trillionaire in the world. What does that mean and what’s that about? If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we’re in big trouble…”

Mixed reactions on-line

His feedback about Musk rapidly unfold throughout social media. Many individuals praised the Pope for addressing the rising divide between billionaires and on a regular basis staff.

Economist Tony Annett known as it “An encouraging sign that Pope Leo is taking up the mantle from Pope Francis as the world’s moral conscience – singling out the compensation package of oligarchs like Musk.” 

Another particular person on BlueSky appreciated the remarks, writing, “Good to see someone with a large (worldwide) platform calling out how the difference in CEO & Employee wages have increased exponentially.”

Nevertheless, critics pushed again. Some highlighted what they noticed as hypocrisy, with @Sword_0f_Truths tweeting, “As he sits on his golden throne among a trove of pillaged ancient treasures.”

Others argued faith mustn’t weigh in on economics and politics. @MayorOfBole wrote, “This is why I’m not persuaded by the argument for Christianity as a bulwark against communism.”

While many Catholics and non-Catholics alike seen Pope Leo’s phrases positively, others dismissed them as overly political. @JonnyThePhoenix expressed frustration, posting, “One woke pope after another. If this is the direction Christianity takes, its toast. Leftism and Christianity are incompatible.” Meanwhile, humor additionally surfaced within the responses. A BlueSky person joked, “Pope Leo basically just told Musk to suck a D!” Another particular person merely added, “He’s quite a likable fellow.”

Musk fires again with scripture

Elon Musk finally weighed in as effectively. On X, he tweeted a Bible passage alongside a quote-retweet about Vatican wealth, writing, “‘Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?’ (Matthew 7:3-5).”

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