Standing in front of the cascade of crimson curtains on the balcony of Saint Peter’s on the evening of May 8, with an emotional crowd undulating below him, the new pope, Leo XIV, gave his first address “Urbi et Orbi,” to Rome and the world, proclaiming “I am a son of Saint Augustine.” Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian friar. What does that mean?

St Augustine established fundamental truths about private property, economic value, and the State. Pope Leo XIV will likely follow his teachings and traditional doctrine