I won’t comment on the true significance of Leo’s response within his pontificate—it was, after all, an unstudied comment made in a particular situation, and I haven’t followed his doings as closely as many others. But it reflects a tendency of thought among many Catholics, so it seems worthwhile to think about its implications when viewed from that perspective.
It evidently supports the “progressive” or “social justice” wing of Catholicism in opposition to the “conservative” or “culture war” wing. The opposition lacks nuance, but is real. Some Catholics believe that the Church should emphasize social reform in the interest of a more free, equal, and compassionate society; others that she should emphasize personal transformation that enables believers to turn toward God and away from sin, and her social involvement should emphasize ways of propagating that.
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