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Pope Leo criticizes huge CEO salaries in first interview as Catholic leader

By CNN

Published September 15, 2025 4:41 am

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By Christopher Lamb, CNN

(CNN) — Pope Leo XIV has criticized how the salaries of chief executives dwarf those of their employees, singling out Tesla’s trillion-dollar compensation package for Elon Musk.

Leo, speaking during his first sit-down media interview, cited income inequality as one of the factors behind polarization in society.

“CEOs that 60 years ago might have been making four to six times more than what the workers are receiving … it’s (now) 600 times more than the average workers are receiving,” the first American pope said.

The pope also referenced news reports that Elon Musk was on track to become the world’s first trillionaire.

”What does that mean and what’s that about? If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we’re in big trouble,” he continued.

Excerpts of the pope’s interview with Elise Allen, senior correspondent at Catholic news site Crux, on Sunday. She spoke to Leo at the end of July for her forthcoming biography on the new pontiff.

In the wide-ranging interview, Leo admitted that he was on a “huge learning curve” in his role, admitting that becoming a scrutinized world leader was a “totally new aspect” to him and that he’s had to “jump in on the deep end of the pool very quickly.”

He spoke about his hopes for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war but lamented that the United Nations has “lost its ability to bring people together on multilateral issues.”

Leo was elected on May 8, becoming the first pope from the United States in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history. Born in Chicago, he spent a large part of his adult life as a missionary and bishop in Peru and was then appointed by Pope Francis in 2023 to a senior position in the Vatican.

Since his election, Leo has signalled that he will continue with Francis’ advocacy on social issues including migration, poverty and climate change, albeit with his own style.

Leo, who has Peruvian citizenship, described himself in the interview as an American who still loves Peru. He said he would probably support Peru in a soccer match against the United States were they to play against each other in the World Cup.

Sunday marked Leo’s 70th birthday, which makes him a relatively youthful pope given that his last two predecessors were several years older than him when they were elected.

As he led the midday prayers from the balcony of St. Peter’s, several groups in the crowd held up banners wishing him a happy birthday while a band played him a birthday song. Leo thanked them for their good wishes, along with his parents and “all those who have remembered me in their prayers.”