Pope Leo XIV has just been elected the new head of the Catholic Church — but as cheers echo through St. Peter’s Square, tensions may already be brewing across the Atlantic.
While U.S. Senator JD Vance was quick to publicly back the historic appointment of the first American pontiff, there’s growing speculation that the admiration might not be returned.
A historic moment
The election of Pope Leo XIV, of Chicago, has made headlines around the world — not just because he’s taking over from the late Pope Francis, but because he’s the first American to ever wear the papal miter.
On May 8, Cardinal Robert Prevost was officially confirmed as the 69-year-old pontiff, marking a historic moment for both the Catholic Church and the United States. Back home, the news was met with celebratory messages from political heavyweights, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump took to Truth Social to praise the milestone:
”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!”
JD Vance was equally eager to chime in, writing on X (formerly Twitter):
”Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election! I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!”
Is the new Pope ”anti-Trump”?
But if Vance and Trump were hoping for a warm embrace from the Vatican, they might want to brace themselves. MAGA supporters have already started labeling the new Pope as “anti-Trump” — and when you take a closer look at some of Pope Leo XIV’s past statements, critics may feel they’ve got a point.
För Leo XIV has made no effort to hide his disapproval of some of their views — especially when it comes to Vance. In fact, a verified X account associated with the new pope shared a pointed article back in February, from National Catholic Reporter.
The criticism of Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, escalated over his interpretation of Jesus’ teachings, according to NBC.
”JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
That op-ed was a direct response to Vance’s controversial comments on Fox News back in February, when he said: ”There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that.”
By resharing that article, Leo XIV made it pretty clear where he stands — and it wasn’t next to the Vice President.
The most recent activity on Pope Leo XIV’s verified X account came in mid-April, when he shared a post from a Catholic commentator criticizing Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for joking about the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident.
The post included a link to an article from the Catholic Standard, where Bishop Evelio Menjivar posed a pointed question to fellow Catholics: “Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”
These moves suggests that while American leaders may be rallying behind the new pope, he’s not afraid to push back when their views don’t align with the core teachings of the Church.