When Pope Leo XIV ascended to the papal throne, the choice of his name raised immediate curiosity. He did not choose a modern or popular papal name, but one deliberately echoing Pope Leo XIII, the author of the historic May 15, 1891 Papal Encyclical “Rerum Novarum: On Capital and Labor.” To the discerning eye, this was not merely symbolic—it was prophetic.
The original Rerum Novarum (“Of New Things”) dealt with the labor question during the First Industrial Revolution. It called for a third way between socialism and capitalism, and advocated for worker protections, trade unions, and Sunday rest—framed within the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Now, more than a century later, Pope Leo XIV revives that legacy amid a very different revolution: the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Leo XIII’s Legacy: A Blueprint for Church-State Guided Economics
Pope Leo XIII’s “Rerum Novarum” article was a calculated response to growing unrest between workers and business owners. He framed labor disputes not merely as economic issues, but as moral ones—requiring guidance from the Roman Catholic Church. By calling for regulated capitalism and organized labor (under the Church’s influence), Leo XIII laid the foundation for future Church involvement in economic policy and lawmaking.
Significantly, Leo XIII emphasized:
- The sanctity of private property
- The right of the state to intervene in economic matters
- The moral necessity of Sunday rest
- The value of organized labor and unions
These themes are now resurfacing in the age of AI, automation, and digital surveillance.
Leo XIV and the Rise of AI-Powered Labor Systems
Today, AI is reshaping every aspect of work: hiring, productivity, even compensation. Labor Unions are no longer just battling factory conditions—they’re facing algorithmic oversight, robotic labor, and digital management platforms. Pope Leo XIV has declared that workers in this new environment must not be forgotten. But the solution he proposes mirrors Pope Leo XIII’s article “Rerum Novarum”: moral control over economic technology.
According to MSNBC news “The Vatican’s top expert on AI ethics is a friar from a medieval Franciscan order…Microsoft first reached out to Benanti several years ago for his thoughts on technology, the friar said. In 2023,…” – https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/vaticans-top-expert-ai-ethics-friar-medieval-franciscan-order-rcna134538
Since Rerum Novarum translates to (Of Future Things”), and understanding Bible Prophecy concerning the Papacy being the first beast of Revelation 13, Leo XIV can be anticipated to:
- Call for global AI labor ethics governed by spiritual values
- Promote international Sunday legislation to “re-humanize” work
- Unite labor unions, tech firms, and religious bodies under a shared moral code
- Support digital ID systems as necessary to “regulate buying and selling responsibly”
In 2016, Bernie Sanders personally visited the Vatican and delivered a speech at a conference hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. In an interview before the trip, he said:
“I am a big, big fan of the Pope. He has played an extraordinary role – an unbelievable role – in injecting a moral consequence into the economy.”— [Source: CBS News, April 15, 2016 — Bernie Sanders visits the Vatican to speak on moral economy]
Both Pope Francis and Bernie Sanders have echoed themes central to “Rerum Novarum” (Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical on labor), including:
- The right of workers to form unions
- The moral obligations of employers
- The dignity of rest and family life
- Critique of “technocracy” and unrestrained capitalism
What becomes more interesting is his sponsorship of a bill concerning a 32 hour work week. As well as his call to union strikes for “work-life balance”. Bernie Sanders is proposing that all should get a share from the future of technology and not just the big companies. The picture being created is a future economy promoting “equality.” However, the equality created will likely be under a future Universal Basic Income. Albeit, the danger of this course is, that those who might be saying the wrong things will be cut off from buying and selling.
“On March 3, 321 AD, Emperor Constantine decreed Sunday to be a day of rest protected by law. …This is especially relevant in times where the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated existing challenges of digitalisation by intensifying work and extending working hours, thus putting a healthy WORK-LIFE BALANCE at risk for more people. (Statement from the European Sunday Alliance ; Brussels, 3 March 2021)
These ideas closely align with the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset, promoted by Klaus Schwab, in his writings and speeches, who insists on the idea that the Fourth Industrial Revolution must be “shaped by human values.” The WEF and Vatican have already held joint forums on inclusive capitalism, climate policy, and AI governance, blurring the line between state, corporation, and church.
And what is deeply interesting is that the Trump administration, at times not so much pro-union, seems to be aligning with the ideas of this incoming Pope concerning labor unions. In a notable shift, President Trump nominated Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Secretary of Labor. Chavez-DeRemer has a record of supporting pro-labor legislation, including co-sponsoring the “Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act”, which aims to strengthen workers’ rights to unionize. Her nomination received support from several labor unions, indicating a potential move towards more labor-friendly policies.
Jonathan Berry, recently nominated as Solicitor of Labor for the U.S. Department of Labor, has expressed support for policies that recognize the importance of rest days, particularly Sundays, in the context of labor law. In his contributions to the Project 2025 policy agenda, Berry proposed amendments to the “Fair Labor Standards Act”, (FLSA) to require overtime pay for work performed on the Sabbath—defined as Sunday or another day of religious observance; as recently quoted by PARL, Michigan Conference – April 9, 2025. (Labor & Employment Insights+3misda.org+3Jackson Lewis+3)
Berry’s rationale is rooted in both historical and cultural traditions. He has highlighted the longstanding practice in Western civilization of designating Sunday as a day of rest, tracing back to the Edict of Constantine in 321 AD. For more on this see the following video:
Trade Unions and Coming Sunday Laws.
Project 2025 is a policy document from the Heritage Foundation. Regarding the recent election of this Pope, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, who heralds the Catholic Church as “Mother Rome”, had this to say on his twitter account:
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Prevost on being elected the first American Pope. While I look forward to learning more about our new Holy Father, his decision to take the name Leo XIV has already given me high hopes for his papacy”.
Non-Catholics may not know, but Pope Leo XIII was an excellent pastor of his flock who led the Church to engage modernity, was an enemy of both communism and unrestrained capitalism, and a staunch defender of the dignity of work and workers. His article in the Papal Encyclical in 1891, titled, “Rerum Novarum, On Capital and Labor”, is the foundational document for Catholic social teaching, and a masterpiece of political economy.
If Pope Leo XIV follows in the footsteps of his namesake, the Church and the world will be blessed.” (Kevin Roberts)
So much can be said about the above statement in relation to Bible Prophecy. “Engaging Modernity?” In other words engaging the “fourth industrial revolution”. And on top of this, his opinion regarding the 1891 article “Rerum Novarum” being, “the foundational document on Catholic Social Teaching” Kevin Roberts tells us.
“Christians in respect of religious freedom and the common good of all should seek to have Sundays and the Church’s Holy Days recognized as legal holidays.” (Compendium on the Church’s Social Teachings Part 68 – The Dignity of Work – Rest from Work)
JD Vance, the current Vice President, first in line to Donald Trump, wrote the foreword to Kevin Roberts book entitled “Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America”.
In this book some of the Catholic Social Teachings are mentioned including Sunday laws. JD Vance has been known to attend conferences on Biblical law making where Sunday laws have been promoted. He has also publicly stated that “My views on public policy and what the optimal state should look like are pretty aligned with Catholic social teaching.”
Catholic Social teaching originated with Pope Leo XIII. His article in the 1891 Pope Encyclical, “Rerum Novarum”, taught that Sunday laws should be enforced by the State. “From this follows the obligation of the cessation from work and labor on Sundays and certain holy days.” (Section 41, Rerum Novarum)
Buying and Selling in the Age of Enforcement
The prophetic implications of Leo XIV’s platform cannot be ignored. Revelation 13 warns of a coming system in which no man can buy or sell unless he conforms to the authority of the beast (Revelation 13:17). In this system:
- Conscience is controlled through law
- Economic participation is conditional on loyalty
- Religious worship becomes entangled with state policy
With digital currency, AI-regulated employment, and social credit systems rising rapidly, the infrastructure is already in place. What’s needed is a global moral justification—and the papacy, as well as what used to be Protestantism, along with government officials such as President Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, United States Senator (VA, Ind), are stepping in to provide it.
Pope Leo XIV’s rebranding of the article “Rerum Novarum”, for the AI age is more than just labor advocacy; it is a push for religiously-sanctioned economic control, under the guise of protecting the worker and the planet.
Sunday Laws: A Moral Imperative?
Just like Pope Leo XIII, Pope Leo XIV is reviving the idea that Sunday rest is essential for social cohesion. But in the age of burnout and climate crisis, this is being framed not just as a spiritual requirement, but as an ecological and humanitarian neccessity.
Expect calls for:
- Global Sunday legislation to “reset” the environment
- International recognition of Sunday as a “universal human right”
This fulfills the long-held expectation that Sunday laws would form the test of allegiance in the last days, as foretold in the Third Angel’s Message of Revelation 14.
“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand…” (Revelation 14:9)
The Prophetic Role of Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV’s name is not just a tribute—it is a signal. He seeks to complete what Leo XIII began: using the Church’s moral voice to shape the future of work, economics, and global unity. But beneath the appeal to justice and rest lies a darker agenda: global religious enforcement under the banner of unity.
As digital systems increasingly regulate buying, selling, and social access, the warning of Revelation 13–14 becomes urgent. The people of God must stand firm, proclaiming the “commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” — not the commandments of men dressed in moral garb.
Let the saints be awake. Revelation 13 speaks of a beast with “the mouth of a lion”. Pope Leo XIV, may be the one to use this mouth to roar. The lion symbolically spoken of in Daniel 7, represented the Kingdom of Babylon. Today it is apparent that we have a modern “Babylon The Great”; a mother church with many daughters gathering the kings of the earth to “make war with the remnant seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17)
