An American has become pope. Will he be the moral leader we desperately need? | Arwa Mahdawi

5 days ago 22

America is back, baby. Not lone has the Gulf of Mexico been successfully Americanized, the Vatican is present officially US territory. OK, fine, not officially, but, connected Thursday, the Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost was announced arsenic pope. The 69-year-old, who has taken the papal sanction Leo XIV, is the archetypal clergyman from the United States to pb the Roman Catholic church.

While Prevost was a frontrunner for the papacy, his triumph seems to person taken galore experts by surprise. There has agelong been absorption to an American pope for a fig of reasons, including the information that it mightiness marque it look arsenic if the Vatican is aligned with the world’s strongest economical and subject power.

“If the Catholic religion were besides tally by an American, the planetary dominance of the US would beryllium simply pervasive and overwhelming,” Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a watchdog radical that tracks clergy kid maltreatment cases successful the Catholic religion worldwide, told ABC News recently.

I’ll archer you who doesn’t look peculiarly overwhelmed by the archetypal American pope: Donald Trump. The president has spent the past fewer days posting AI-generated pictures of himself arsenic the pope and mostly mocking the Catholic church. Still, Trump was connected his champion behaviour erstwhile the authoritative announcement came through, and posted a reasonably restrained message connected Truth Social, congratulating the pope and saying it was a “Great Honor for our Country”.

Just springiness it a fewer days, though, and I’m definite Trump volition beryllium connected Fox News taking recognition for the caller pope and announcing that the Vatican is going to get escaped of each their dusty aged Bibles and regenerate them with the Trump God Bless the USA Bible. Only $99.99 for the platinum variation and a bargain $74.99 for the pinkish and golden edition!

Vice-President JD Vance, 1 of the past radical to see Pope Francis alive, besides posted a diplomatic connection of congratulations, saying helium was “sure millions of American Catholics and different Christians volition commune for [Pope Leo’s] palmy enactment starring the Church”.

I americium not an American Catholic. Nor americium I Protestant, Episcopalian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist oregon thing else. I americium an atheist, though not a terribly devout one. But I americium surely praying arsenic hard arsenic I tin that Pope Leo volition beryllium the motivation person that the satellite truthful desperately needs astatine this moment.

For astir of my beingness I person not been peculiarly funny successful who the pope is. And I person had precise small religion that the Vatican, which covered up systemic intersexual abuse, could ever beryllium a existent unit for good. But – and I cognize I americium not unsocial erstwhile I accidental this – the past 19 months has fundamentally changed however I spot the world. I utilized to judge successful things similar planetary quality rights law. I utilized to judge that portion the arc of the motivation beingness whitethorn beryllium highly long, it bends toward justice. I utilized to judge that universities would basal up for escaped speech. And I utilized to judge that nary substance however craven occidental satellite leaders mightiness be, they wouldn’t spell truthful acold arsenic to alteration the livestreamed genocide unfolding successful Gaza. That occidental leaders wouldn’t basal by and cheer arsenic Israel, whose full blockade connected Gaza has entered its third month, starves children to death.

During a clip erstwhile planetary instrumentality has been dealt a deadly blow, erstwhile mightiness is close and decades of advancement look to beryllium unravelling, the precocious Pope Francis made an content connected non-Catholics similar maine for his motivation clarity towards galore marginalized groups and his advocacy for bid everyplace from “martyred Ukraine” to Gaza. Of course, his bequest isn’t perfect: many maltreatment victims person questioned whether helium went acold capable successful acknowledging children sexually abused by clergy. But Pope Francis undoubtedly fought for the astir susceptible successful society.

Pope Francis besides understood what galore paper editors and politicians don’t look to beryllium capable to comprehend: that determination is nary “both-sidesing” atrocities. That determination are times wherever you indispensable instrumentality sides because, arsenic Desmond Tutu said, “if you are neutral successful situations of injustice, you person chosen the broadside of the oppressor.”

In 2023, for example, Pope Francis went connected a historical travel to South Sudan and told churches successful the portion that they “cannot stay neutral” but indispensable talk up against injustice and maltreatment of power.

Pope Francis besides visited the Democratic Republic of Congo successful 2023, wherever helium criticized the “poison of greed” driving struggle successful the region. “Hands disconnected the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hands disconnected Africa. Stop choking Africa: it is not a excavation to beryllium stripped oregon a terrain to beryllium plundered,” Francis said.

When it came to Gaza, Pope Francis spoke clearly and powerfully. He would telephone the lone Roman Catholic religion successful Gaza astir nightly aft this iteration of the struggle broke out. When truthful overmuch of the satellite seems to person turned distant from Gaza’s suffering, Pope Francis fto anguished civilians cognize helium cared. One of his past wishes was that his popemobile beryllium turned into a mobile wellness session for children successful the Gaza Strip.

And Pope Francis was not shy astir criticizing the US – consistently speaking up for immigrants and refugees. “We indispensable not beryllium taken aback by their numbers, but alternatively presumption them arsenic persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories,” helium told the US Congress successful September 2015.

We bash not yet cognize however Pope Leo volition undertake his duties but helium is wide considered a centrist who was aligned with Francis connected a fig of societal issues. Notably, successful February Leo tweeted an article that disagreed with Vance’s views connected immigration, headlined “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t inquire america to fertile our emotion for others”. In April, helium besides retweeted commentary criticizing Trump deporting a US nonmigratory to El Salvador.

Whether Pope Leo volition stay outspoken, whether helium volition proceed Francis’s demands for a ceasefire successful Gaza, remains to beryllium seen. But the satellite desperately needs beardown motivation enactment astatine the moment. May Leo beryllium the airy we request successful the existent darkness. And, for his ain sake, whitethorn helium stay away from JD Vance.