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Original article: https://theconversation.com/the-prospect-of-a-us-pope-was-once-viewed-with-suspicion-but-leo-xiv-could-prove-an-important-counter-to-trump-256146
Pope Leo XIV has been elected as the 267th pontiff, leader of the Catholic church and spiritual guide to more than 1.4 billion Catholics. He is the first pope in history to come from the United States.
Since the 19th century, the influence of the United States within the Catholic Church has steadily increased, mirroring the country’s global geopolitical rise. US bishops, institutions and donors have played a growing role in shaping church policy, appointments and international engagement, signalling a shift away from traditional European dominance.
This growing influence had long been accompanied by unease over the idea of entrusting the leadership of the global Catholic community to a figure from the world’s most powerful nation. In this sense, the election of Leo XIV is an unexpected and significant choice.
Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago in 1955, has spent much of his ecclesiastical life to date in Peru, where he became a respected figure within the local church. He had been sent to Peru on a missions after taking his solemn vows as an Augustinian and studying in Rome.
Once there, he served for many years as judicial vicar and professor of canon, patristic (early Christian), and moral theology in Trujillo. In 2014, he was appointed apostolic administrator of Chiclayo and became its bishop in 2015, a post he held until 2023.
Prevost gained Peruvian citizenship and was widely regarded as a stabilising, pastoral presence in a church often divided between liberation theology and ultra-traditionalism. Known for his humility and approachability, he was respected for his ability to foster dialogue among Peru’s diverse episcopate.
His longstanding commitment to Latin America helped shape his international reputation and proved key to his eventual election as the church’s first North American pope.
Continuity or rupture with Francis?
It is difficult to determine at this early stage whether the election of Leo XIV will mark a continuation of Pope Francis’s pontificate or a clear departure from it. More likely, it will represent something of a middle path.
The first image of the newly elected pope – appearing on the balcony in traditional white and red papal garments, adorned with a gold cross – was striking. It echoed the appearance of Benedict XVI in 2005, in contrast to Francis’s more austere choice of a plain white cassock and silver cross, which reflected a deliberate gesture of humility.
Yet, Leo XIV’s strong focus on the poor – rooted in his years as a missionary in Peru – and his warm greeting to the Peruvian community, one of the Church’s global peripheries, suggest a clear line of continuity with Francis’s pastoral priorities.
Even his choice of name evokes Leo XIII, pope from 1878 to 1903 and author of Rerum Novarum, the landmark encyclical on social justice and the rights of the poor. Leo XIV may, therefore, embody a papacy that maintains a firm commitment to the marginalised, while adopting a less confrontational, more measured style than that of his reformist predecessor, who sometimes adopted openly anti-curial stances.
A Counterweight to Trump?
Prior to becoming pope, Prevost has, on several occasions, openly criticised the current US administration – particularly on matters of migration policy. As a cardinal, he voiced concern over statements made by US vice president J.D Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019.
He shared an article challenging Vance’s interpretation of Christian love in relation to immigration. Prevost also shared posts critical of both Donald Trump and Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national living in Maryland.
In this light, the election of an American pope – once a prospect viewed with suspicion – could now represent one of the strongest moral voices against the hardline migration policies of his own country’s government and a counterbalance to Donald Trump’s influence.
The choice of the name Leo is also potentially significant here. Pope Leo XIII strongly opposed extreme nationalism, viewing it as a threat to the Church’s universal mission and moral authority.
While acknowledging the value of legitimate patriotism, he maintained that loyalty to God and the church must always take precedence over allegiance to the nation-state. In encyclicals such as Immortale Dei and Sapientiae Christianae, he defended the church’s supranational character and cautioned against subordinating faith to national interests.
For Leo XIII, true civic virtue could never conflict with divine law, and any form of nationalism that did so risked becoming a kind of idolatry. In an era of rising nationalism across the globe – particularly in the United States – connecting to this message would be a clear and powerful statement.
While the prospect of an American pope once caused concern, the choice of Leo XIV shows sensitivity to the world’s margins. Yet, in a Church where Catholic growth is most pronounced in Africa and Asia – while numbers continue to decline in Europe and the Americas – the election of another western pontiff is not without its challenges. Some regions may still feel overlooked or underrepresented.
A promising gesture was the decision to deliver a brief message in Spanish from the balcony of St Peter’s – the first time in papal history. At the same time, it is striking that the most globally diverse conclave ever convened has placed the church’s leadership in the hands of a cardinal from the world’s most powerful nation. The new pope will need to unify a church that is increasingly global and moving beyond its eurocentric past.
Massimo D’Angelo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.