An agricultural group has welcomed the election of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, saying his chosen name carries deep meaning for Filipino farmers and workers.

In a statement released on May 9, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) said the new Pope’s decision to take the name Leo XIV is “of great significance to workers and farmers in the Philippines and across the globe.”

The group recalled that Pope Leo XIII, whom the new pontiff honors by name, issued the landmark encyclical Rerum Novarum (Of New Things) on May 15, 1891, the feast day of St. Isidore the Farmer.

“This document laid down the Catholic Church’s basic teaching on the fundamental need for social justice in the ordering of society,” the FFF stated.

According to the group, the encyclical emphasized the balance between the right to private property and the rejection of both unregulated capitalism and socialism. 

It also called for material wealth to be shared more broadly and fairly.

“Rerum Novarum underscored the imperative of spreading material wealth to all,” the FFF noted.

The document, which is considered a cornerstone of modern Catholic social teaching, highlighted the rights of laborers and agricultural workers.

“This social encyclical gave particular importance to the rights of workers and farmers to receive just wages and fair treatment and to organize themselves freely into unions and associations,” the FFF said.

The farmers’ group, which describes itself as being “grounded in the social teachings of the Church,” expressed optimism over the direction Pope Leo XIV may take.

The FFF said it “warmly welcomes His Holiness Leo XIV and his message of care and support especially for working men and women.”