Lula and Pope Leo 14: the themes that should arise in a meeting at the Vatican

[Pope Leo 14 at the Vatican this Sunday; on Monday, he meets with President Lula EPA/Shutterstock via BBC President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) meets with Pope Leo XIV on Monday (13) at the Vatican. It will be the first meeting between the Brazilian leader and the new pontiff, elected as Pope Francis’ successor last May. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp Lula is in Rome to participate in the World Food Forum, promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The meeting at the Vatican is scheduled for 8:15 am local time (5:15 am Brasília time) at the Apostolic Palace, the pope’s official residence. According to Brazilian diplomatic sources interviewed by BBC News Brasil in private, topics such as social justice, the environment, defense of peace and democracy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) may arise in the conversation between Lula and Leão 14. The current pope is the fourth pontiff to meet with the Brazilian president. During his three terms, Lula was received at the Vatican by Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. Pope Leo The expectation is that Leão 14 will receive President Lula and First Lady Janja in a closed-door audience. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, is also expected to be present. There should later be an expanded meeting, with other Vatican representatives and the Brazilian delegation. This Monday’s meeting had been being planned for a few days by the Brazilian government, which encountered some difficulties given the disputed agenda of Leão 14 on the eve of the forum organized by the FAO. The event is expected to bring several heads of state and representatives of foreign governments to Rome, many of whom are asking to meet with the pope. The pontiff does not usually receive visitors at the Vatican so early in the morning, but he would have made an exception given the large number of requests and the request from Brazil, according to Brazilian diplomats. Social justice and poverty Leo 14 published last week the first Apostolic Exhortation – an official Church document containing a teaching on a given subject – of his papacy. Entitled Dilexi Te (I Loved You, in Portuguese), the publication denounces unequal economic structures and hunger in the world. The naturalized Peruvian American pontiff calls for a change of mentality towards marginalized people and criticizes the inequality of the global economic system and “a culture that discards others”. “We must not let our guard down in the face of poverty. We are particularly concerned about the serious conditions in which many people live, due to the scarcity of food and drinking water. Every day thousands of people die from causes related to malnutrition”, says the pope in the document. According to sources heard by BBC News Brasil, the publication of the Apostolic Exhortation and the holding of the World Food Forum indicate that Leão 14 may be interested in discussing the fight against social injustice and hunger with Lula. For theologian and historian Gerson Leite de Moraes, professor at Mackenzie Presbyterian University, the pontiff also has vast knowledge about the social and economic situation in Latin America, after living in Peru for more than two decades, from 1985 until 2023, before taking up his position at the Vatican. According to the expert, this and a certain “ideological familiarity” bring Leão 14 closer to Lula. “The PT was, in some way, influenced by the social movements that were present in the Brazilian Catholic Church in the late 70s and early 80s, including liberation theology”, says Moraes, who also remembers that the same movement also had great strength in other countries in Latin America, including Peru. “So there are historical, social and ideological familiarities that bring Lula closer to this pope. Lula will meet with Pope Leo 14 at the Vatican on Monday Reuters via BBC Peace, democracy and AI Since the beginning of his papacy, Leo 14 has still shown great interest in defending peace. The theme was the focus of his inaugural speech, given in front of a crowd of faithful in Saint Peter’s Square, shortly after his election. ” humanity needs Christ as a bridge to be reached by God and his love. Help us, and help each other, to build bridges with dialogue, with meetings. All together, as one people, always at peace,” he said. Since then, the pontiff has spoken out several times for the end of world conflicts, citing the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, as well as other disputes, such as between India and Pakistan in the Kashmir region. For all this, members of Brazilian diplomacy and Vatican observers believe that some discussion about the fight for peace should arise in the meeting with Lula. Vaticanist Filipe Domingues, director of the Lay Center in Rome, and professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, also in Rome, states that, although Brazil does not have a direct role in building peace in these conflicts, it adopts positions very similar to those of the Holy See, especially in the war in Gaza. “Lula made a strong defense of multilateralism at the United Nations and the Holy See also defends this very clearly”, says the expert, recalling the speech by the Brazilian president at the UN General Assembly in September. Likewise, the defense of democracy may be a topic of interest for both the Vatican and the Brazilian government. According to Gerson Leite de Moraes, the Vatican has recognized through communiqués and statements from various authorities that there is a crisis in global democracy. “And Brazil is a strong democracy that has punished those who attacked democracy”, he says. According to a diplomat interviewed in person reserved by the report, there is no expectation that specific political events will be mentioned at the meeting, but a general conversation about the topic may be on the agenda. According to the same source, some mention is also expected of discussions on the regulation of social networks and Artificial Intelligence (AI), topics that have also been addressed by the Catholic Church recently. In June, Leão 14 highlighted in a message the need for “global governance” of new technologies and stated that new technologies cannot replace “moral discernment” and the richness of human relationships. “Humanity is at a crossroads, facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence. The impact of this revolution is far-reaching, transforming areas such as education, work, art, health, governance, armed forces and communication”, said the pope in the text released by the Vatican. Finally, points out theologian and priest Dayvid da Silva, professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), the Vatican may also be interested in revisiting the topic of religious freedom again. “The issues of the rights of the Catholic Church and religious freedom were recognized in the Brazil-Santa Se agreement, on February 11, 2010, when President Lula was serving his second term, and the Pope was Benedict XVI”, explains the religious. Environment and COP 30 Leão 14 was invited by the Brazilian government to participate in COP30, which will take place in Belém between the 10th and 21st of November. The invitation was formalized by the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change of Brazil, Marina Silva, during an event held at the Vatican a few weeks ago. The climate conference in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, celebrated the anniversary of “Laudato si'”, Francis’ environmentalist encyclical. Leão 14 presided over the opening of the event and confirmed the expectations that he should follow the legacy of his predecessor in the fight to preserve the environment and against climate change. “The climate issue interests both Lula and the Pope. And the debate that will take place at the COP in Brazil is important for the Catholic Church”, assesses Gerson Leite de Moraes. The pontiff has not yet responded to Brazil’s invitation to participate in the conference in Belém, but the Brazilian government claims to have already received signs that the pope’s agenda for November is quite full. In any case, says Vatican expert Filipe Domingues, Lula should reinforce the invitation and discuss other topics related to the COP 30. Catholics in Brazil According to Census data carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Catholics were 74% of the Brazilian population in 2000. Ten years later, they were 65%. Given this scenario, scholars and members of the Church in Brazil have expressed concern about the decline in interest in religious life and the loss of relevance of Catholicism in the country. However, according to a diplomat interviewed privately by the report, there is no expectation that the topic will be addressed directly between Lula and Leão 14. “This is a topic that is mostly dealt with by the CNBB,” said the source, in reference to the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil. And for theologian Gerson Leite de Moraes, despite recent research showing a drop in the influence of the Catholic Church and in the number of people attending religious ceremonies, the death and legacy of Pope Francis has represented “a kind of revival” for the Holy See. “Many people understand that Francis’ positions served to stop the decline of faithful in the Catholic Church”, says the professor at Mackenzie Presbyterian University.

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