Leo XIV. The meaning of an American Pope in the Trump era

After significantly two days of conclave, most cardinals delegated to Robert Prevost the task of occupying the position of successor of St. Peter. Thus, and under the name Pontifical of Leo XIV, Prevost became in the first Papa State Unidense, at a time when the American administration, led by Donald Trump, has been the target of various criticisms from the Catholic Church itself. But what is, in fact, and if it exists, the relationship and meaning of having chosen a high pontiff of the United States at this conjuncture? And will you choose the new Pope for continuing the approach to the new American administration, criticized on several occasions by Pope Francis?

A « counterweight » in the Vatican?
Pope’s role is complex and demanding. He is the leader of more than 1.4 billion faithful and is responsible for the mission, as a « supreme pastor », guide them. It is also a bridge builder, which is why it is known as the Supreme Pontiff (from Latin Pontifex, the one who bridges). But there is a dimension of the pontificate that transcends theology and the various religious affairs: politics. Although the contemporary world, in particular the Western, is mostly secularized, the political influence of a pope, albeit clearly diminished, is real. There is no direct ecclesiastical interference in the political life of the nations, but the words and attitudes of the Vatican are undeniable preponderance in the ethos of societies in which Catholicism is the majority religion, which inevitably ends up spilling into the political vector.

One of the reasons for ever an American Pope, besides the temporal issue-the church is over two thousand years old, the US is less than 250-a kind of Italian monopoly and a country where Protestantism is superior to Catholicism, can be attached precisely with the political issue. According to the Britannic Encyclopedia, « given the role of the United States as global superpower, why give them moral power associated with the papacy? If we bring concern about the fact that the United States is an inherently secular country that embraces capitalism and has divergent positions on the nature of families, an American pontiff continued to seem unlikely. » At a press conference after the election of Leo XIV, Washington’s own cardinal and archbishop, Robert McELROY, admitted that he always thought that “it would be impossible” to elect a natural Peter’s successor of the United States.
But if a Pope can raise the power of his home country, and his government, through « moral power » associated with office, he can also do his opposite. As Ben Munster and Hannah Roberts wrote in the politician, the cardinals chose « not just an American, but one who could plausiblely act as a counterweight to the impulsive US president. » « When the cardinals eventually came together around a new pontiff, » journalists continue, based on cardinals who opted for anonymity, « the progressives of them were aware that Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago, a former 69-year-old missionary with a mixed inheritance, was an alternative voice to Trump. » Thus, “having an American Pope who could counterweight to Trump’s rhetoric was a“ supplementary gift, ”said one of the clerics to the politician,” he could read in the same piece, which naturally emphasizes the other fundamental reasons that motivated Cardinal Prevost’s choice.

ORDO AMORIS, a reason for discord This idea of ​​a counterweight in the Vatican is linked to the various differences between Leo XIV and the Trump administration, being immigration to the most blatant. Following the line of Pope Francis, Leo, as Cardinal, criticized the approach of the American administration and shared opinion texts where the statements of Vice President Jd Vance were rebutted that justified migratory policy through the theological concept Ordo Amoris (Order of Love, in Portuguese), attributed to the thinking of St. Augustine. Interestingly, Leo XIV is the first Augustinian Pope, belonging to the Order of St. Augustine since 1977.

One of the texts shared by the then Cardinal Prevost was published by Sam Sawyers in America Magazine, a Jesuit magazine, and entitled Pope Francis’ letter, Jd Vance’s “Ordo Amoris” and what the Gospel asks us all in immigration. In the play is a letter from Pope Francis directed to the American bishops, who, as for the issue of Ombo Amoris, says: « Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that gradually extend to other people and groups. » Another text, titled Jd Vance is wrong: Jesus does not ask us to order our love for others, written by Kat Armaros and published in the National Catholic Reporter, was also shared by the cardinal, making clear his opposition to the current US administration in immigration.
But unlike Francisco, a greater conciliatory and less progressive capacity has been attributed to Leo, something that has already been possible to observe in some of the few actions he has already taken. The appearance on the Basilica of St. Peter’s balcony stands out with the traditional costume, something Francisco dismissed, the decision to reside in the Apostolic Palace, another tradition broken by his predecessor who opted for the house of Santa Marta, and yesterday expressed a clear rejection of the gender ideology and “ideological and phacious language”, also condemning the persecution of journalists, to try to say true ».

« More than Trump’s issue, it may also have had to do with the broader and most corrosive influence of American politics in the US Catholic Church, » the article of the policy mentioned above, and Pope Leo, « according to that person (Vatican) and the participant in the aforementioned conclave, » is « someone who could help to heal these divisions. »

Still, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said at the mentioned press conference that he does not believe that « cardinals had thought of him as a counterweight to anyone » and will not build bridges with Donald Trump, but « with leaders of all nations. »

Thus, it will be interesting to follow the relationship of the new Pope with the new American administration as Donald Trump’s pontificate and mandate are advancing. Among the disagreements in the issue of immigration and the expected efforts to reconciliation within the American Catholic Church itself, Pope Leo XIV will be the key to the Washington-Vatican connection, which has suffered erosion with the papacy of Francis, at a complex and unpredictable international conjuncture.