On the second day of voting in the conclave, the Vatican announced, surprisingly, that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, an American, had been named the new pontiff.
President Donald Trump immediately celebrated the news, but I think he may soon regret the election of this new pope.
One of the reasons many believe we have not seen an American pope elected before is due to our country's political situation, as it does not always align well with the church’s beliefs.
Considering the current president and the election of this pope, I think the church was trying to send a message to America, knowing full well that Prevost, who will be called Pope Leo XIV, was a Pope Francis loyalist and has every intention of continuing the agenda of his predecessor.
After the announcement, Pope Leo XIV appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to tell those gathered, “Peace by with you,” then he gave a brief speech encouraging the ability to build bridges, peace, and dialogue “without fear.”
I saw many conservative personalities celebrate the election of this pope, hoping he would back Trump’s agenda, but that is not the role of the pope. The pope needs to lead the church, period, and should not be interjecting himself into political conversations one way or another. But I have bad news for people like Charlie Kirk… This pope will be a nightmare for Trump and conservatives.
After Prevost was announced as the new pope, Trump stated, “What greater honor could there be?” He then added, “We were a bit surprised, but very happy. It’s just a great, absolutely great honor.”
Trump also posted to Truth Social, "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.”
Based on the comments made by Prevost throughout his career, I would be surprised if that invitation ever comes.
First and foremost, when Prevost was stationed in Chicago and priests were being accused of the sexual abuse of children, he looked the other way, reportedly doing the same in Peru when he was stationed there. Lopez de Casas, a victim of clergy abuse and national vice president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), stated, “Staying silent is a sin. It's not what God wants us to do. Jesus wants us to stop these things, not make a healthy garden for sexual abuse to grow.”
According to reports, Prevost harbored an alleged sexual abuser in Chicago, and he failed to open an investigation into abuse allegations against two priests in his Diocese in Peru.
If you think Prevost will support American borders, think again, as one of the last posts he made prior to his election as pope was to retweet Philadelphia-based Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo, who had criticized Trump for his partnership with El Salvador to deport criminal and gang member illegal immigrants. The post stated, “As Trump & Bukele use Oval to [laugh emoji] Feds’ illicit deportation of a US resident… once an undoc-ed Salvadorean himself, now-DC [auxiliary bishop] Evelio [Menjivar] asks, ‘Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?'”
Prevost has a long history of reposting anti-Trump posts on X, and his timeline was littered with posts calling out Trump over various policies he wanted to put in place. He has also reposted about gun control, so, while people will tell you he was a registered Republican voter, this man is about as far left as it gets.
My regular readers know how I feel about the Catholic Church, as I am convinced it is one of the most corrupt organizations in the world and filled with hypocrisy. Pope Francis was a man telling us, who is guarded by a private force and literally lives behind walls, that we need to open our borders and stop deporting people who come here illegally. Well, Prevost will likely be more of the same. The fact that he looked the other way on child abuse allegations is enough to sour me on him, but I will hold my true venom until he starts butting his nose into our politics. However, I can tell you that I am far from excited about the man who will now be called Pope Leo XIV.
