In Leo's First Interview, American Pope Blasts Elon Musks's Exorbitant Wealth

In a wide ranging interview on faith, politics, and economics, Leo links Musk-sized fortunes and CEO pay gaps to a deeper moral crisis.

Sep 14, 2025

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On September 14 — his 70th birthday — Pope Leo XIV’s first formal interview as pontiff went public, and he led with economic inequality.

Citing projections that Elon Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire, Leo questioned a culture that treats extreme wealth as the highest value and contrasted today’s CEO-worker pay gaps with earlier eras.

“If …

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