MAGA Catholics 'not a fan' of Leo as new Pope calls 'for a united church'

18 May

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

In a historic ceremony at St. Peter’s Square in Rome on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV was officially inaugurated as the first United States-born pontiff.

The ceremony drew a massive crowd that included numerous international dignitaries, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"I would like that our first great desire be for a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a lever for a reconciled world," Leo said in his speech, according to media reports.

"In this, our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, by violence, by prejudice, by the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the world's resources and marginalizes the poor," he added.

In an article for the New York Times' published Sunday, the Times' national religion correspondent Elizabeth Dias wrote that the first American pope assumes his role "at a time when conservative Catholicism has political strength in the United States, embodied in the man first in line to the presidency."

"The relationship between the two will be one of the most-watched developments of Pope Leo’s papacy," Dias wrote in the article.

She said the cardinals’ selection of Pope Leo tests the strained relationship between the bishop of Rome and the American right wing, noting that Leo had been critical of JD Vance and the Trump administration's policy on immigration.

She noted that Vance arrived "to greet a leader who appears to share many of his predecessor’s views, including direct criticism of Mr. Vance in a now-deleted social media account associated with his name."

Dias argued that although some had hoped for a different outcome in the conclave, the new pope has so far presented himself as a unifying and centrist figure. His balanced approach to theology and practical leadership, according to Dias, has led some conservatives to see areas of agreement.

The author noted that the pope held a short meeting with the head of Opus Dei — a group with significant conservative backing — during which, the Pope conveyed his “closeness and affection.”

The article also highlighted comments made by Josh Mercer, co-founder of Catholic Vote alongside Brian Burch, during a podcast in which he stated, “I’m certainly not a fan of this guy.” He went on to suggest that Pope Leo was being promoted because he appeared to be a more acceptable liberal figure capable of continuing Pope Francis’s legacy.

But in a later opinion piece co-written with former Trump adviser Steve Cortes, Mercer acknowledged that Pope Leo appeared to align with several principles of the economic vision associated with patriotic populism.

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