The good news? Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, seems to be a strong advocate for unions and workers. The bad news? He is a Chicago White Sox fan.
Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Illinois, Pope Leo XIV made history by becoming the first American to assume the role. He chose his name in direct response to concerns around human dignity and labor.
Pope Leo XIV can speak English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese. He can, also, read Latin and German.
“…I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour,” said Pope Leo XIV.
The last Pope to use the name Leo, Pope Leo XIII, wrote Encyclical Rerum Novarum in 1891 and explicitly emphasized the rights of workers to form unions and earn good wages. He condemned both capitalism and socialism, urging unionism as the path of the future and writing extensively about the righs of workers long before trade unions were popular. Encyclical Rerum Novarum’s rejection of “socialism” may have unintentionally contributed to creating cultural challenges now faced by workers who seek to expand the power of organized labor outside the workplace.
“We congratulate Pope Leo XIV, the first American and Chicagoan to be named pope. By selecting the name Leo, the new pope signaled his solidarity with working people and gave a nod to his South Side working class roots. The previous pope to bear that name, Pope Leo XIII, was known as “The Pope of the Workers” and outlined the rights of all workers to a fair wage, safe working conditions, and collective bargaining in his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum. We are excited by this message sent to workers around the world and look forward to Pope Leo XIV presiding and serving people of all faiths,” said Chicago Federation of President Labor Bob Reiter on the election of Pope Leo XIV.
A Statement from the Chicago Teachers Union on the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost, a native of Chicago’s South Side, as the first American Pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV:
“By choosing the name Leo, the new Pope is honoring the legacy of Pope Leo XIII, widely known as ‘the Pope of workers’ for his groundbreaking encyclical Rerum Novarum, which championed the rights of laborers to fair wages, collective bargaining, and safe working conditions. In doing so, Pope Leo XIV clarifies that the fight for justice and dignity in the workplace is sacred.
“Born into the hands of hardworking nurses at Mercy Hospital — an institution saved from closure by Black community organizing in 2021 — and raised in Bronzeville by an educator and a school librarian, Pope Leo XIV is a product of Chicago’s working-class spirit. His South Side roots are not just symbolic — they’re foundational to his understanding of justice, service, and the power of everyday people.
“A dual citizen of the United States and Peru, Pope Leo has spent much of his ministry walking alongside migrants and the disenfranchised. His belief, shared by educators everywhere, is simple: no one should be denied dignity, safety, or opportunity because of where they come from, what they earn, who they choose to love, or how they identify.
“At a time when workers worldwide are rising up — demanding equity, recognition, and a voice in the halls of power — this moment could not be more powerful. Last week, we witnessed a global May Day wave of worker action. Today, the message from St. Peter’s Basilica rings loud and clear: working people matter.
“Pope Leo XIV’s election offers an opportunity to recenter the world on the lived realities of educators, service workers, and public servants. And if this new papacy carries even a fraction of that South Side Chicago realness, it will be a blessing.”
Tristin Amezcua-Hogan is the Editor of The Labor Beacon and a member of LIUNA Local 264. Tristin also serves as the Director of Communications for the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO and the Chair of the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance.
Tristin grew up as the son of a UA Local 669 member in Tecumseh, KS and the great-nephew of George C. Amis, longtime leader of the United Rubberworkers (now USW Local 307) in Kansas. Growing up in rural Kansas as the child of teen parents, Tristin quickly came to appreciate the life-changing benefit of a union job.
Tristin and his partner, Rebeca Amezcua-Hogan, are residents of the Westside, Kansas City, MO's historic Mexican neighborhood. They are proud members of Kansas City's New Reform Temple.
