Journalism of Courage
Pope Leo has raised concerns over growing gaps between executive pay and workers’ wages, pointing to Tesla’s $1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk.
Speaking in his first media interview, recorded in July for a forthcoming biography, Pope Leo said: “CEOs that 60 years ago might have been making four to six times more than what the workers are receiving … now 600 times more.”
Referring to Musk’s recent pay package, he added: “Yesterday there was the news 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,” The Independent reported.
The Pope, originally from Chicago, was elected in May as the first US pontiff, succeeding Pope Francis. He said he initially felt prepared to guide the Catholic Church spiritually but less ready for the demands of global diplomacy.
“The totally new aspect to this job is being thrown onto the level of world leader,” he said. “I’m learning a lot and feeling very challenged, but not overwhelmed. On that one, I had to jump in on the deep end of the pool very quickly.”
Pope Leo also commented on the United Nations, saying it was struggling to serve its intended purpose. “The United Nations should be the place where many … issues are dealt with,” he said. “Unfortunately, it seems to be generally recognised that the United Nations, at least at this moment in time, has lost its ability to bring people together on multilateral issues,” according to The Independent.
The interview also touched on his decades as a missionary in Peru and his hopes for peace in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
