Leo XIV, what really is behind the viral image of the “Pope on horseback”

The image of Pope Leone XIVto the century Robert Francis Prevostriding a Horse along the Paths of Peru He deeply struck public opinion. The shot, which became viral on social media, tells the essence of a pontiff who stands out for Simplicity, closeness and missionary spirit.

During his years from Bishop of Chiclayoin the north of Peru, Prevost used the horse to reach the most isolated communities. The horse was therefore much more than a means of transport. Era a proximity tool which allowed Prevost to reach isolated communities, often inaccessible in another way.

In those lands, marked by inequalities and logistical difficulties, the horse represented a practical and efficient way to visit the various parishes e meet the faithful in contexts often difficult to achieve by other means. This sense of closeness To the community, which characterizes its papacy, finds roots in these years as a missionary, where attention to the poor and marginalized has always been at the center of his mission.

An animal historically exploited

This image of the “pope on horseback” has become viral precisely because powerful symbol of a pastoral approach without formalisms, in clear contrast to the pompousness that often accompanies the high religious positions. But it is also an image that arouses questions and reflections.

In a time when attention grows for the animal welfarecan we read the horse only as an emblem of freedom and humility? Or we should also ask ourselves about the fact that it is an animal historically exploited. Despite being a sentient being, endowed with social intelligence and sensitivity, it was used as means of transport, war instrument, status symbol.

Yes, it’s nice to think of a church that “walks next to the poor”, but it serves more than a viral icon to make it. The horse, in this sense, can be a double symbol: of the mission lived with courage, but also of a narrative that risks sliding in rhetoric.

It is true that if you grow up among the people, the people feel it, as it has been with Pope Francis. However today the people also feel the need to transparency, self -criticism and consistencynot just beautiful images. We need a Church that does not limit itself to evoking iconic gestures, but which transforms them into concrete policies: respect for the environment, animal protection, real internal reform. The pope on horseback is a powerful image, of course. But it will only be well -packaged folklore if courageous choices will not follow.