Although St. Peter’s Square is resounding with celebrations over Pope Leo XIV’s election as the new head of the Catholic Church, tensions may already be building on the other side of the Atlantic.
Although U.S. Senator JD Vance was quick to publicly support the first American pope’s historic appointment, there is growing concern that the admiration may not be reciprocated.
A momentous occasion
In addition to succeeding the late Pope Francis, the election of Chicago native Pope Leo XIV has garnered international attention as the first American to wear the papal miter.
A landmark event for the Catholic Church and the US occurred on May 8, when Cardinal Robert Prevost was formally confirmed as the 69-year-old pope. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were among the political heavyweights who sent out jubilant messages in response to the news back home.
Trump praised the milestone on Truth Social:
“Congratulations on the recent appointment of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope.” The fact that he is the first American Pope is such an honor. What a great honor for our nation, and what a thrill. I’m excited to meet Pope Leo XIV. It will be a moment of great significance!
Equally eager to weigh in, JD Vance posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Congratulations on the election of the first American Pope, Leo XIV! Millions of Catholics and other Christians in America will undoubtedly pray for him to lead the Church successfully. God bless him!
The new pope is “anti-Trump,” right?
However, Vance and Trump may want to prepare themselves if they were expecting a warm reception from the Vatican. Supporters of MAGA have already begun calling the new Pope “anti-Trump,” and if you look more closely at some of Pope Leo XIV’s previous remarks, you might see that they have a point.
För Leo XIV hasn’t held back when expressing his disapproval of some of their opinions, particularly in regards to Vance. Indeed, back in February, a scathing article from the National Catholic Reporter was shared by a verified X account linked to the new pope.
Vice President JD Vance, who became a Catholic in 2019, came under increasing fire for how he interpreted Jesus’ teachings, according to NBC.
Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank how much we love other people, so JD Vance is mistaken.
“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,” Vance said in a controversial Fox News interview back in February. This opinion piece was a direct response to his remarks. That has been entirely reversed by many on the far left.
Leo XIV made it quite obvious where he stands by reposting that article, and it wasn’t next to the vice president.
In mid-April, Pope Leo XIV shared a post from a Catholic commentator who was scolding Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for making jokes about the deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia. This was the most recent activity on his verified X account.
Bishop Evelio Menjivar asked fellow Catholics a pointed question in an article from the Catholic Standard that was linked in the post: “Is your conscience not disturbed? How are you able to remain silent?
These actions imply that even though American leaders are supporting the new pope, he isn’t scared to retaliate when their opinions conflict with the Church’s central doctrine.
