2025 ends with a special recognition: Pope Leo XIV was chosen byInstitute of the Italian Encyclopedia Treccani as Person of the Year, “for having based the pontificate on fundamental values of the Christian experience, such as sobriety, moderation and listening, the ideal expression of a poor Church for the poor”.
The Pope, the first American and the first member of the order of Saint Augustine to lead the Catholic Church, chose from the beginning to make his figure discreet: sparing of words and presence, he avoids clear-cut political or theological alignments, balancing positions and audiences with patience and prudence. As the Treccani 2025 Book of the Year recalls, Leo XIV “shades” his personal image to enhance the message of the Gospel, focusing on what really matters in the life of the Church and the world.
Missionary in Peru before the election, the new Pontiff brings with him long experience of governance and dialogue in complex contexts. Now, at the helm of the universal Church, he faces a world marked by international tensions, ambitions for power and social and economic crises, where choices must be considered and often courageous. His pontificate, as Treccani underlines, is characterized by selective decisions and measured responses, pursuing a “disarmed and disarming” peace, far from easy consensus and appearances.
«We have tried to describe a difficult year with completeness and depth, thanks to Treccani’s solid professional base and a network of qualified external collaborators», observes Marcello Sorgi, director of the Institute, «and we have identified a new protagonist on the international scene in the Church of Pope Leo XIV, hence the choice to name him Person of the Year».
The Book of the Year 2025, the twenty-sixth edition of Treccani’s important publication, looks back a complex year through news, culture and history, between tensions and hopes. Among the protagonists of the international scene, Pope Leo XIV stands out, a symbolic figure of a pontificate marked by humility, service and wisdom.
