The US Pope Will Not Please Trump for Long
Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 9 May 2025
by Eric Frey (link to original)
Robert Francis Prevost is more Latin American than American, and with his beliefs he stands in conflict with the U.S. administration. How loud he will be in office remains to be seen.
It sounded almost like the German's proud "We are Pope," when Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope back in 2005. "Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!" (https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/new-pope-leo-xiv-american-trump-reaction/)[mb], U.S. president Donald Trump wrote in a post on social media platform Truth Social after the surprising election of his fellow American, Robert Francis Prevost, as the new head of the Catholic Church.
But even faster than the Germans, who considered Pope Benedict XVI too conservative, disillusionment with Pope Leo XIV will set in at the White House and among many U.S. Catholics. This is because the new pope is not a typical representative of the American church, which has in past decades moved to the right. He may have been born in Chicago, but he has mostly been working in South America. He acquired a U.S. passport by birth, but decided to become a Peruvian citizen.
This pope is first and foremost a Latin American in the spirit of his predecessor, Pope Francis, and a citizen of the world from the always transnational Augustinian order. This may have been more important for his election than the question of whether or not it is wise for an American to ascend to the highest office of the church.
Criticism of US Policy
Tensions with the Trump administration are inevitable. With his choice of name alone, Prevost stands on the side of the critics of capitalism who, as Pope Leo XIII once did, denounce inequality. His criticism of the new U.S. immigration policy has been documented since he shared an article online rejecting Vice President JD Vance's strange interpretation of Christian charity. He is likely to be continuing Francis's commitment to climate protection, so he is bound to clash with Trump.
The fact that Leo XIV is against abortion, equal marriage and other forms of social liberalism will not make him any more sympathetic to U.S. Republicans. Because that would have been expected of any pontiff.
As for how loud and how defensively political this pope will be in his new office, nobody can yet say. He will likely be more precise with his views and less likely to cause confusion with spontaneous statements than Francis. Today, a pope has just as few legions as when Joseph Stalin mockingly asked this question. He cannot determine the opinions of 1.4 billion Catholics, but as a voice of conscience, he can counter Trump and the new right.
It sounded almost like the German's proud "We are Pope," when Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope back in 2005. "Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!" (https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/new-pope-leo-xiv-american-trump-reaction/)[mb], U.S. president Donald Trump wrote in a post on social media platform Truth Social after the surprising election of his fellow American, Robert Francis Prevost, as the new head of the Catholic Church.
But even faster than the Germans, who considered Pope Benedict XVI too conservative, disillusionment with Pope Leo XIV will set in at the White House and among many U.S. Catholics. This is because the new pope is not a typical representative of the American church, which has in past decades moved to the right. He may have been born in Chicago, but he has mostly been working in South America. He acquired a U.S. passport by birth, but decided to become a Peruvian citizen.
This pope is first and foremost a Latin American in the spirit of his predecessor, Pope Francis, and a citizen of the world from the always transnational Augustinian order. This may have been more important for his election than the question of whether or not it is wise for an American to ascend to the highest office of the church.
Criticism of US Policy
Tensions with the Trump administration are inevitable. With his choice of name alone, Prevost stands on the side of the critics of capitalism who, as Pope Leo XIII once did, denounce inequality. His criticism of the new U.S. immigration policy has been documented since he shared an article online rejecting Vice President JD Vance's strange interpretation of Christian charity. He is likely to be continuing Francis's commitment to climate protection, so he is bound to clash with Trump.
The fact that Leo XIV is against abortion, equal marriage and other forms of social liberalism will not make him any more sympathetic to U.S. Republicans. Because that would have been expected of any pontiff.
As for how loud and how defensively political this pope will be in his new office, nobody can yet say. He will likely be more precise with his views and less likely to cause confusion with spontaneous statements than Francis. Today, a pope has just as few legions as when Joseph Stalin mockingly asked this question. He cannot determine the opinions of 1.4 billion Catholics, but as a voice of conscience, he can counter Trump and the new right.
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