America finally got a pope—just not the one conservatives prayed for.
Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago to parents with French, Spanish, and Italian ancestry, Pope Leo XIV’s path to the papacy didn’t follow the script.
After decades serving Peru’s poor and indigenous communities, he now takes on the papacy, making history as the first-ever American pope.
Pope Leo XIV’s election surprised many, as the papacy rarely chooses leaders from global superpowers, let alone an influential country like the United States. But in the U.S., he doesn’t fit neatly into any partisan box.
So what will his papacy look like—and what does it mean for both the Catholic Church and America?
We take a glimpse at what we might expect from the new Catholic pontiff.
Pope Leo XIV might prove to be a thorn in the side for MAGA Catholics
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1. The American pope that MAGA didn’t want
When American conservatives prayed, and lobbied, for a U.S. pope, Pope Leo XIV wasn’t exactly their top pick—or so it would seem. Trump-supporting MAGA Catholics were lobbying for a conservative American pope who would participate in their culture war battles with a strong stance on issues close to them.
These include depriving LGBTQ+ rights, countering the climate change doctrine, and being anti-immigration. Instead, they got Pope Leo.
“He is the worst possible pick for MAGA Catholics,” Steve Bannon, Trump’s Catholic ally, raged on his podcast the day after the conclave. “This is the anti-Trump pope.”
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Leo had indeed criticized JD Vance and been vocal about his disagreement with Trump’s immigration policies.
An X account linked to Pope Leo XIV shared criticism of Trump-era immigration policies while supporting stricter gun control. In February, it rebuked JD Vance by posting an article titled, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
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Within his ‘hierarchy of love,’ Vance believes people should prioritize their love for family, neighbors, and community—specifically fellow (native) Americans—over those outside their immediate circle, particularly immigrants.
The U.S. has recently witnessed a changing narrative of Catholicism under Trump’s presidency.
This includes a more politically conservative faith with a focus on issues like abortion, opposition to LGBTQ+ rights, and strict immigration policies—aligning with conservative American nationalism, and exceptionalism.
But Pope Leo XIV has made it clear he doesn’t stand with that version. While he shares the Catholic Church’s traditional stance on issues like abortion and celibacy, his priority is not America First, but the global poor.
It seems Pope Francis was quite influential on the new pontiff’s vision for the future
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2. A pope for the Global South
Pope Leo’s life has brought him closer to the Church of the Global South. Like his predecessor Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV remains focused on helping society’s most vulnerable, including being against Trump’s immigration policies.
In Peru, where Pope Leo became a citizen, he was warmly referred to as “a shepherd who smelled of the sheep” by the new bishop of the city of Chiclayo, which Pope Leo called home for a decade.
“Leo XIV has taught us to live the Gospel through closeness to the poor, to the most vulnerable, to those who suffer, the migrants, the refugees,” Bishop Farfán said when describing him.
Pope Leo XIV pledged to stand with “ordinary people” over the rich and powerful, in his first mass as pontiff.
The Vatican has always supported the rights of migrants. Pius XII (1876-1958) called immigration a natural right, especially for the poor. Later, Pope John XXIII (1881-1963) expanded this idea to include all people seeking a better life.
Since then, popes have defended undocumented migrants and pressed on the need for dignity.
Pope Francis championed the values of protecting and integrating migrants, and Pope Leo XIV is expected to carry on this tradition.
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3. War and peace
Trump’s America is known for its polarizing tone. In contrast, in Pope Leo’s first public remarks as pontiff he said: “We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open.”
He has consistently presented himself as a peace-seeker and a moderate voice amid political unrest in Peru, including a civil war, almost a decade-long de facto dictatorship under Alberto Fujimori, and an unstable post-dictatorship period.
Pope Leo has called for a “disarmed peace,” referencing ongoing crises in Ukraine, Gaza, and South Sudan.
In his first Regina Caeli address, he appealed to world leaders with the words: “Never again war.” He referenced Ukraine, Gaza, and the India-Pakistan conflict, urging for ceasefires and humanitarian aid.
“Let the fighting cease immediately, let humanitarian aid be provided … may all hostages be released,” he said.
4. Opposing female ordination but supporting women’s involvement
Pope Leo echoes Pope Francis’ views when it comes to women in the clergy. He has rejected women’s position to serve as deacons, but plans to follow through with Pope Francis’ push to expand their involvement.
In a 2023 discussion with Pope Francis, he made his stance clear by saying that “clericalizing women” would not necessarily solve problems in the church, and could instead create new ones.
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“It isn’t as simple as saying that, ‘You know, at this stage we’re going to change the tradition of the Church after 2,000 years on any one of those points,’” he said, according to The Catholic News Agency.
He also noted that women are increasingly stepping into leadership roles within the Church, both in the Vatican and beyond.
Pope Francis was the first to appoint three women to the Vatican office to advise on bishop selections.
Pope Leo has continued this progress, and re-confirmed Sister Raffaella Petrini as President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and Governor of Vatican City State—making her the first woman to hold either position.
5. Cautious on LGBTQ+ issues
Pope Leo’s record on LGBTQ+ issues is mixed.
In a 2012 speech, Prevost expressed concern that Western culture shows great “sympathy” for beliefs and practices that conflict with the Gospel. He particularly mentioned abortion, homosexuality, and same-sex families with adopted children.
However, these statements were made a while ago, advocates point out.
“2012 was really a different time in our church and in our society. I’m hoping that, considering how close he was to Pope Francis, that his thinking has changed,” Meli Barber, president of Dignity USA, a national organization working for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Catholic Church and society, told USA Today.
Pope Francis was known for his efforts to open up the church to members of the LGBTQ+ community—asking, “Who am I to judge?”
In a 2023 interview, Prevost showed his agreement with Pope Francis’ values, pressing on the need for the church to be “open to all” and to make sure people don’t feel “excluded on the basis of the choices they make, their lifestyle or the way they dress,” he said.
His stance today remains less clear but is potentially evolving.
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6. A mixed record on sexual abuse transparency
Pope Leo XIV finds himself in a situation similar to that of many of his predecessors: holding a position of authority while facing accusations of sexual abuse involving priests under his supervision.
On paper, he has made it clear that he stands against sexual abuse in the church.
In an interview with La Republica, the Pope urged victims to come forward, saying, “We reject cover-ups and secrecy; they cause a lot of harm, because we have to help people who have suffered due to wrongdoing.”
He was also a part of dissolving the ultra-conservative and apostolic Catholic movement Sodality of Christian Life in Peru after investigations revealed years of sexual abuse and corruption, as reported by Vatican News.
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But he has also been criticized for not doing enough to investigate abuse allegations and remove complicit bishops.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) expressed serious concerns on the day of Pope Leo XIV’s ascension, calling for a universal zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse.
There have been controversies surrounding the pope’s record on sexual abuse in the clergy during his time in Chicago and Peru.
In 2022, when Prevost served as the bishop of Chiclayo, three women accused two priests of sexual abuse that allegedly took place back in 2007 when they were minors.
The victims claimed that Prevost did not investigate the matter adequately. “No investigation was carried out, nor were the precautionary measures for the protection of the faithful, boys and girls [undertaken] ... the case was filed and archived,” one of the victims said on social media.
The Vatican has denied any wrongdoing.
7. Freedom of the press
At a time when Trump calls the media the “enemy of the people,” Pope Leo emphasizes journalism’s importance as a “service to the truth.” He stands with journalists who have been imprisoned for seeking the truth and has called for their release.
He has also called upon the media to take up the challenge to lead the world out of the “Tower of Babel”—referring to growing partisanism.
While Donald Trump has called left-leaning media the ‘enemy of the people,’ Pope Leo emphasized the role journalists play in telling the truth
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8. Climate action and environmental justice
Climate change has often been downplayed and dismissed during the Trump administration. Pope Leo XIV, on the other hand, has taken a strong stand on environmental issues.
Last year, he said it was time to move “from words to action,” calling upon everyone to build a “relationship of reciprocity” with the environment.
He has discussed concrete solutions at the Vatican, including the installation of solar panels and the adoption of electric vehicles.
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