An American pope, but clearly not a MAGA one

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/05/2025 (212 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The white smoke has risen, a new pope has been chosen, and for the first time, an American will hold the role as the head of the Catholic Church.

Just a few days ago, Pope Leo XIV was Robert Francis Prevost, a 69-year-old originally from Chicago who preferred the nickname Bob. While born in the U.S, he has spent much of his religious career outside the United States.

At the risk of riling up some segment of society, it’s interesting to note that there might be the potential of a papal choice being affected, like so many things, by the outrageous behaviour of America’s current president.

After all, the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and its members have already worked to the clear detriment of right-leaning political candidates in elections in Germany, Canada and Australia.

How could that touch on papal affairs and choices?

To be clear, the papacy is not immune to its own brand of politics. And the choice of a new pope means setting the direction for the rest of a pontiff’s life.

Pope Leo has been outspoken about the treatment of migrants, and has cited the American treatment of those seeking refuge under Trump. He spent 20 years in Peru as a missionary, priest, teacher and bishop, serving for a time in a region of Peru where there was regular flooding — Leo has been described as bringing sacks of rice on his own back to remote regions.

And then there’s his — admittedly small, but pointed — social media presence as a cardinal.

In 2018, during Trump’s first reign in the White House, Leo’s Twitter account shared a post from another cardinal that said there is “nothing remotely Christian, American or morally defensible” about separating migrant children from their parents.

Also as a cardinal, Leo reposted links to articles asking, “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”

And he’s been even more direct: in February, Leo shared an article from a Catholic publication with the headline, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” That response came after Vance told a Fox News interviewer that there was a Christian basis to make those closest to you your priority, saying “that you love your family and then you love your neighbour, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world.”

As Pope, Leo’s social media postings are likely to go quiet. But they are just part of the tea leaves that suggest Leo will follow his predecessor Francis’s direction of taking the Church back to the people.

Speaking in Italian for his first public address from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo said, “We have to look together how to be a missionary church, building bridges, dialogue, always open to receiving with open arms for everyone, like this square, open to all, to all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.”

Open arms for everyone — that sounds very much like a shot over the bows for those who insist more and more on closed borders, closed eyes and ears, and closed hearts.

Oh, and just one interesting aside to close this editorial, thinking about both Vance and Leo.

In this world where Robert Francis Prevost got to choose the name Leo, and James Donald Bowman got to choose that he wanted to be called JD Vance, it’s ironic to see that there’s a clear backlash against those far lower on the political ladder who want to choose how they’d like to be addressed.