Ciao Papa Leone
A new pope and hope springs eternal
Papa Leone! Everyone else has published some form of a hot take on the new Vatican chief. Do I get mine? Keith Olbermann waxed poetically (as he does) about the new most famous White Sox fan. In his podcast for Monday, May 12, Keith rattled off a list of outstanding figures, including Barack Obama, who prove that the average White Sox fan has more fortitude than any other baseball team fan anywhere.1 It’s easy to be a Cubs fan, says Keith. But to be a White Sox fan: now that takes the mental endurance of a hero—indeed, a real man of God! This is truly the part of being American that swells my heart with pride, the part that cuts to the chase and unfolds the answer to the question on every (well, American) mind once we learned that the new Pope is a Chicago-born baseball fan. Cubs or White Sox? That was the mystery the internet sleuths were happy to tackle, and sure enough, it wasn’t long before we had the truth. His brother confirmed it. We saw the proof in the footage of the 2005 World Series from Chicago’s local Fox affiliate.2 There he was, watching the game from the enviable seats behind the home plate. Habemus Papam! Americano! Now we understand how the Argentinians felt when Jorge Bergoglio took the papal style of Francis in 2013, after his predecessor, Anthony Hopkins3 Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI retreated to Castel Gandolfo. We understand why the Peruvians beg to differ with us: His Holiness Pope Leo XIV is, in fact, as Peruvian as he is American, having spent two decades (non-consecutive) as a priest in Peru. As Bishop of Chiclayo from 2014-2023, he even became a dual citizen. Peruvian American Carlos Lozada wrote a beautiful Opinion piece in the New York Times about the former Cardinal Prevost, concluding with the observation that Chicago and Chiclayo sort of rhyme.4
Did I just say “Prevost,” you ask? Why, yes, I did. It turns out his father descended from French Cajuns who settled in Louisiana, and his mother came from Haitian Creoles/Free Persons of Color in New Orleans. Her parents even listed as “black” on the 1900 census.5 So there you have it. The Americano/Peruvian/White Sox fan Vicar of Christ is also biracial. Robert Francis Prevost, aka Leo XIV, is probably not the first person of color to be Pope. After all, Saint Peter the Fisherman was born in Bethsaida, in what is probably modern-day Syria. Still, at this late date and after many centuries of European Popes, it feels like a novelty for Pope number 267.
The trivia about Papa Leone just gets better as we learn about his life and passion. Certainly, we have established that his choice of Leo to be his papal name was no whim. He explained why he chose the name as he addressed the College of Cardinals in his first papal Mass. He said he wanted to invoke the spirit of Leo XIII, writer of the Rerum Novarum (May 15, 1891),6 which addressed ethical issues and human rights (direct quote from His Holiness) “in the context of the first great industrial revolution.”7 He sees the current time as an echo of the 19th century economic and social upheaval. This go around, we are challenged by even greater economic inequalities, unemployment, under employment, and the rise of Artificial Intelligence. Concern for the working class, for the poor, for immigrant justice, and social justice across the spectrum are core issues that the Pope has devoted his life to addressing.
Many commentators have noted the likeness between the new Pope and the late Pope, Francis. Indeed, as the Conclave got underway on May 7, it was widely anticipated that the 133 cardinals, 80% of whom had been appointed by Francis,8 were likely to favor someone like him. Conservative Catholics aside, Francis was very popular for the transparency and social responsiveness that he brought to the role. He was the first Pope of Twitter—that quintessential social media platform now known as X. He was all over that thing Trump hates, what is it—DEI? Yeah, that. Pope Francis hired more women to Vatican roles than any previous Pope. He granted women the vote in the Synod of Bishops.9 He formalized the Church’s opposition to the death penalty in all cases.10 He allowed Church blessing of LGBT marriages.11 Pope Francis, who died at age 88, never fully came around to the idea of a nonbinary gender world, but he was undoubtedly more progressive than any other Pope, and although his successor is on record, in 2012, expressing concern about the “homosexual lifestyle”12 and transgender issues,13 there seems ample reason for hope that Leo is absolutely sincere when he says that he means to be a Pope who is close to the people. He was against teaching kids in Peru about sexuality and gender in 2016 and then in 2023 he addressed a question from reporters about all of his prior comments on the subject.14
He is no enemy of change either. His views are not like an immovable rock. It was widely noted that the cardinals elected him precisely because he exemplifies the “bridge,” the “middle of the road,” the peacekeeper who can help us find a solution without letting the baby out with the bathwater. There is humility in his words about a shepherd’s to make himself small and not put himself above the flock.15 He belongs to the Order of St. Augustine, a Catholic order emphasizing communal life and charity. He told Vatican News that a bishop should not be like a “little prince” living in a remote palace, but rather stay close to the people he serves, walking and suffering alongside them.16 Walking and suffering with one’s community is the very essence of a dynamic life. There is no fixed point. Leo is the first Pope born after World War II. Like Francis, he is firmly in the Vatican II camp. As a cardinal, he used the X handle “drprevost” to express support for universal access to the COVID-19 vaccine, condolences for George Floyd, and criticism of Trump/Vance immigration policies. He voted in general elections from 2000 to 2024, with the exception of 2016 and 2020, although in those years he did vote in the Republican Party primaries. (Conservatives tried to spin that as an indication that he’s a Republican, but Illinois has an open primary system, so voters can choose which primaries to vote in, regardless of registration.)17 He voted in the 2008 and 2010 Democratic Party primaries, then the Republican Party primaries in 2012, 2014, and 2016. He voted in the 2024 presidential election by absentee ballot.18 I feel like his non-votes in the generals for 2016 and 2020 had to do with his distaste for Trumpian policies. I know I’m going out on a limb (thank God I’m not a journalist who swears by objectivity) but I seriously doubt he cast his 2024 vote for Trump. My guess is that, as far as partisan politics go, Dr. Prevost was an old school conservative, or at least right of center, and a Never Trump guy.19 He is known to be friends with Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago, who is known for his liberal views.20 Cardinal Cupich did an interview for America: The Jesuit Review on Sunday, May 11. He talked about the new Pope and said he thinks Leo largely shares the vision of Francis toward a more inclusive Church. Of course, Cardinal Cupich was in the conclave and talked about why the cardinals ultimately chose Cardinal Prevost. He said, “you could feel the excitement as the votes were being announced”21 in his friend’s favor. Cardinal Cupich talked about the rising applause as the votes reached the necessary threshold to elect Cardinal Prevost as Pope. He could not see his friend from where he sat, but he heard from someone else that at one point during the final vote tally (the fourth of the day) the chosen man put his head in his hands. The excitement for me, and I believe for others too, stems from having such a decent and upstanding American on the international stage. Pope Leo XIV poses a much needed contrast to the current presidential administration. He reminds the world that there are nice Americans, who like immigrants, who respect diversity and difference, who support the invaded rather than the invaders, etc. The majority of Americans want justice for Ukraine and we were horrified by the way Trump and Vance treated President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on February 28. We need that contrast more than ever. We need to remind ourselves and our children than power comes with responsibility and that economic prosperity must be paired with ethical standards. Pope Leo was right to point out the dangers in our pandemic isolation and disillusionment. We need more than ever to be reminded that life has meaning, that leaders can be good, and that kindness and compassion are virtues that foster inclusion, acceptance, and friendship. The Church isn’t perfect, but God, it’s as good as any place to start. Ciao Papa Leone!
Refer to the 2019 film The Two Popes, starring Sir Anthony as Pope Benedict and Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis.
https://wapo.st/4k79xBG (gift article from The Washington Post, “What does the papal name Leo mean? The history behind the new pope’s name,” May 8, 2025.)
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I am not alone in thinking that Pope Leo is not a MAGA guy. Case in point: https://web.archive.org/web/20250508193638/https://newrepublic.com/post/195020/new-pope-robert-prevost-trump-jd-vance
“Liberal” in comparison to views more in line with Catholic tradition & doctrine: https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/habemus-papam-chicago-born-cardinal-robert-prevost-takes-name-leo-xiv & https://newrepublic.com/post/195020/new-pope-robert-prevost-trump-jd-vance