Is compassion disappearing? Pope Leo worries it might be, and why
Pope Leo XIV warns that compassion may be vanishing in contemporary society. He cites rising self‑interest and a lack of empathy in public discourse as key signs. The pontiff urges a renewed focus on charitable acts and community support. He calls on churches and individuals to lead by example through outreach initiatives.
5 months ago
Pope Leo XIV warned that compassion and empathy are under threat from the “constant flow of images and videos” online, calling the resulting digital indifference a serious spiritual challenge. Speaking to a joint Christian‑Muslim delegation at the Vatican, he urged both faith traditions to revive humanity, give voice to the suffering, and turn indifference into solidarity 1.
The Pontiff emphasized that compassion is not optional but a core call from God in both Christianity and Islam. He linked divine compassion to the example of Jesus, urging believers to “share in or ‘suffering with’ others, particularly the most disadvantaged” 1.
The audience included leaders from the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, the Royal Institute for Inter‑Faith Studies, and Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. The meeting highlighted the shared value of empathy in the two religions and the role of Jordan in supporting refugees—over 564,000 in 2025, mainly from Syria and Iraq 1.
Leo XIV warned that the relentless exposure to hardship through social media can desensitize hearts, turning compassion into apathy. He described this “digital indifference” as one of the most serious spiritual challenges of our time 1.
The new Pope recalled Pope Francis’s description of compassion as part of God’s “style,” noting the former pontiff’s repeated denunciation of a “globalization of indifference.” Leo XIV’s call builds on that legacy, urging a “common mission” for Christians and Muslims to restore dignity to the other 1.
The Pope asked believers to draw on their traditions to revive humanity where it has grown cold, to give voice to those who suffer, and to transform indifference into solidarity, asserting that compassion can restore human dignity 1.
Does contemporary society lack the Catholic virtue of compassion?
Contemporary society often appears to suffer less from a total absence of compassion than from a growing habit of indifference—a kind of emotional and practical “looking away” from other people’s suffering. Catholic teaching treats this indifference as the opposite of compassion, and it warns that modern life can normalize it.
In Catholic usage, compassion is not merely a feeling. It is a choice that creates bonds and takes responsibility for the other person—“suffer with” rather than “feel bad for.”
Pope Francis explicitly contrasts compassion with indifference:
“Compassion is the opposite of indifference.”
Catholic sources speak of a “globalization of indifference” and of a “culture of comfort” that makes people insensitive to others’ cries. In that sense, the Church’s critique is that modern society can become incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor—because we treat their pain as “someone else’s responsibility.”
Pope Francis describes this concretely:
So, if the question is whether contemporary society lacks compassion in practice, Catholic teaching answers: there is a serious and growing danger of indifference, which reduces compassion’s visibility and effectiveness.
Not in the sense of “no one has compassion.” The Church consistently points to Jesus’ compassion as steady and foundational, and it calls people to recover it. For example:
And the popes repeatedly address communities as if compassion is something that can (and must) be cultivated—especially as an “antidote” to indifference.
Catholic sources highlight several drivers:
The Church presents a practical spiritual logic: compassion grows from the right way of seeing—contemplation and God’s mercy. Pope Francis says compassion is “the fruit of contemplation.”
He also emphasizes that compassion must become active charity, not passive sentiment.
In other words, the Church does not merely diagnose a cultural problem; it calls for conversion—choosing to stop treating others as irrelevant.
Catholic teaching does not say humanity has no compassion—but it strongly warns that contemporary society can be marked by widespread indifference, especially under the pressures of comfort, exclusion, distraction, and “it’s not my responsibility” thinking.