Most of the media in the United States has consistently attempted to define Pope Leo XIV based on the American political framework. NBC reported that Pope Leo cast a ballot as a Republican in recent Illinois primary elections. Politico reported on Pope Leo’s criticism of Vice President J.D. Vance on X (formerly Twitter). Along with this posturing, many in the media continue to speculate in the larger sense if Pope Leo will be considered more of a conservative, comparing him to Pope Benedict XVI, or a progressive, comparing him to Pope Francis. All of this speculation is inherently flawed and demonstrates in a much larger sense a lack of imagination and understanding about the role of the Pope in a global church.
First, the notion that a Pope can be more on one political side of the aisle as opposed to another is simply not true. Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI maintained the same position on most major issues in the church and Francis did not make major changes to church teaching. He was not a correction on Pope Benedict, but rather a continuation of the work of the Holy Spirit based on what the Church needed in each circumstance. In 2005, the church was in the nascent phases of confronting the sexual abuse crisis. The church needed someone who would be an intellect and a shrewd administrator. Benedict’s leadership of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith gave him the skills needed at that time. In 2013, the church needed an approachable figure who would bring pastoral experience first. Francis, known as a street priest, was that approachable and pastoral figure that looked to welcome all.
These are not political differences. Pope Leo so far has represented a bridge between those who define themselves as more attached to either of the two pontiffs, as both an administrator and a pastor. He is both an American and a Peruvian. He is a humble man with a vow of poverty who is also not too casual about the task in front of him. None of these men are Republicans or Democrats. Rather, they are all unified in the person of Jesus Christ, who gave His life in love for the world.
So, why do we care so much about trying to define their political lines? To put it boldly, I argue that politics has become its own religion in the United States. In the 1950s, only 20% of all marriages were between those of different religious backgrounds. Today, that is about 45%. On the other hand, in the late 1950s, 72% of the population claimed that they either did not care or did not answer to whether the political party of their child’s partner mattered. In 2016, that dropped dramatically to 45% saying that they did not care. I argue that this demonstrates clearly that political ideologies have become the most important marker of identity for many in the modern United States as opposed to religious backgrounds.
While we should celebrate our greater willingness to be connected to those with different religious beliefs, we have simply switched it out for another form of separation. This political division has led to a world of broken relationships and distrust. When faith is our primary unifier, then we can talk to people we disagree with more easily and not assume ill will. Pope Leo’s motto demonstrates this unity: In Illo Uno Unum (In the One, we are one).
May we focus less on the political affiliation of the Pope and the clergy but instead be more focused on how much they want to share God’s love with our broken world which is in such great need of it. Pope Leo’s first words to the world included this “God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. So, without fear united hand in hand we go forward”. May we drop our false god of politics and replace that god with the one true God who loves every one of us unconditionally. May God bless Pope Leo XIV in his ministry to the world.
Photo License: OSV News Photo/Claudia Greco, Reuters
