The ascension of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to the Papacy marks an extraordinary moment for American leadership on the world scene at a time when President Trump has transformed the reputation of the country abroad and fueled the distrust among the longtime allies.
But while two Americans now sit in positions of a huge global influence, Pope Leo XIV can offer the world a different vision of the US values from the first approach of Mr. Trump's America, who has performed through rigid rates, imperialist reflections and vast cuts to foreign aid.
When it was presented in the world, the new Pope – who speaks five languages and is a naturalized citizen of Peru – underlined his pluralistic background, making it speak in Italian (which represents his new electoral college) and Spanish (his old man). He did not speak English and did not reference to the United States, although some Catholics in the square of San Pietro made the US flags excited. (Friday, he spoke briefly in English when he delivered his first homily.)
There are indications that the first American pontiff disappoints some of the hard line positions of the Trump administration. An account on social media under its name has republished critical messages on the president's positions on issues including immigration, control of weapons and climate change. In February, the account shared a connection to an article by the National Catholic Reporter entitled “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus does not ask us to classify our love for others”.
“We have this powerful moral voice that will potentially face the other more powerful American voice,” said Charlie Sykes, an anti-trump conservative that is Catholic. “Donald Trump eliminates the world like the ugly American, and now we have another important American who is able to face it.”
Sykes said that Pope Leo's defense on behalf of migrants, in particular, could challenge Mr. Trump, who pursued an aggressive campaign to expel them as quickly as possible.
“Part of Donald Trump's appeal is that he is the great champion of Christianity and now he will have to explain it to an American companion who is the Pope,” said Sykes. “There are very few figures, if necessary, which have the platform and the voice of the Holy See.”
John Prevost, the Pope's brother, told the New York Times in an interview that he did not think that his brother would avoid expressing his disagreements with the president.
“I know it's not happy with what's going on with immigration,” he said. “I know for sure. To what extent it will go is only a hypothesis, but it won't sit. I don't think it will be the silent one.”
However, Vatican analysts say that Pope Leo is more reserved than his predecessor, and while they expect that they continue to defend migrants and the poor, some do not expect it to do it in a frank way like Pope Francis.
Trump and his supporters have also found aspects of the background of the new Pope who excite them, including his ardent anti-abortion defense and his opposition to a government plan in Peru to add teachings on the genre in schools.
“He said and done some conflicting things in the past,” said John Yep, CEO of Catholics for Catholics, a group that supports Mr. Trump. “Let's see how he does. I don't want to run to the judgments immediately.”
In the hours following the selection of Pope Leo, the president had only praise for the new church leader. Mr. Trump and vice -president JD Vance both congratulated social media posts and celebrated his American inheritance.
“The president made his reaction to the announcement of Pope Leo yesterday very clear,” Karoline Leavitt, press secretary of the White House, told journalists, when he was asked about the Pope's comments. “He is very proud to have an American Pope.”
It is not clear whether Mr. Trump or Mr. Vance had been aware of Pope Leo's criticisms of their policies, but some of the president's most scarce supporters have already recorded their displeasure.
“It is anti-trump, anti-maga, pro-open edges and a total Marxist like Pope Francis”, Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who convinced Mr. Trump to shoot some of his helpers so as not to be fairly loyal, he wrote on X. “The Catholics have nothing good to look at. Only another Marxist in the Vatican”.
The representative Nancy Pelosi, former president of the Chamber and a devoted Catholic, praised Pope Leo's commitment to the poor and said he hoped to unite American Catholics through the partisan divisions.
“His vision based on the values for the Church is very different from what we are seeing by some leaders, if you call them that, in our country, but I do not expect it to be engaged in a political debate with the President of the United States,” he said in an interview.
Although Pope Leo is an American by birth, he spent most of his adult life outside the country, and now as the Head of the state of another nation, remains to be seen which relationship will have with the United States. Pope Francis, who greeted Argentina, never returned to his birthplace after becoming the church leader.
On Friday, American cardinals said that Pope Leo's American identity was not a factor in his selection. When it was announced, the Vatican did not mention its American nationality, instead presenting it as the second Pope from the Americas.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the emeritus archbishop of Washington, DC, said that the conclave was not seen as a “continuation of the American elections”.
“It wasn't an electoral conclave,” he said. “It was a desire to strengthen the Christian faith among the people of God”.
Joe Donnelly, the United States ambassador to the Holy See during the Biden administration, said that the selection of Pope Leo transcended any nationality, but would also serve to demonstrate American values on the world scene.
“I think that Pope Leo will be a wonderful reflection of America, Chicago and all our laborious people,” said Donnelly. “He is a prototype of the American success story, he works hard, study firm and be kind to others.”
The selection of the cardinals of an American Pope has challenged the prevalent belief that the Church would not have chosen a leader from global superpower. In the days preceding the conclave, Catholic commentators hypothesized that the interruption of Mr. Trump of the global political and economic order made a Pope born in the United States even more unlikely.
In fact, some spectators gathered in the square of San Pietro on Thursday were bewildered when his identity emerged.
“An American?” Several murmured in Italian.
“I am surprised and disappointed,” said Adam Mocarski, 31 years old, from Poland.
The immediate disillusionment was not directed to the same new Pope, but seemed to reflect how much Mr. Trump enhanced the international feeling towards America.
“Trump wants to divide,” said Francesca Ericio, 29, theatrical producer of Rome. “Trump has a negative effect not only on America, but in other countries. Perhaps the idea was to have an intermediary that can save not only the Church, but the whole world.”
Some analysts hypothesized that the cardinals selected Pope Leo because of Mr. Trump. The president agitated many Catholics, even some of his allies, when he published an image generated by himself dressed as Pope after the death of Pope Francis.
“The president could have the right to request credit for the selection, at least in part, given the photo he published on social media,” said Rocco Palmo, analyst of the Catholic Church. “Leo's choice is the way the cardinals to say:” This is our process and we decide what Catholic is, not the White House. “
Matthew Mpoke Bigg AND Elizabeth Dias Relationships contributed by Vatican city.