Pope Leo XIV may help Vatican explore the 'great uncertainty' that is Trump's America

Clerics question US flags during the code of the recently elected Pope Leo XIV astatine the Vatican, Thursday, May 8. Francisco Seco/AP hide caption

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Francisco Seco/AP

The predetermination of Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV to pb the Roman Catholic Church raised an contiguous question:

What does this awesome to the U.S. and President Trump?

On Truth Social, the president called Leo's predetermination a "Great Honor for our country." But determination are evident signs Trump and the caller pope — who successful his archetypal connection urged bid and unity — are instantly astatine odds.

Like his predecessor, Leo, calved Robert Francis Prevost, has advocated for helping the mediocre and migrants. He has stressed the value of protecting the environment. He's called for radical justness and precocious criticized the views of Vice President Vance, a Catholic, connected the church.

Leo's predetermination is "not a governmental statement" by the College of Cardinals, "but it contains a governmental message," Massimo Faggioli, a papal adept and prof of theology and spiritual studies astatine Villanova University, told Morning Edition.

The church's concerns astir the emergence of nationalism

In a Feb. 10 missive to U.S. bishops, the precocious Pope Francis sharply criticized the beginning of the Trump administration's promised wide deportations. Francis wrote that "worrying astir personal, assemblage oregon nationalist individuality … easy introduces an ideological criterion that distorts societal beingness and imposes the volition of the strongest arsenic the criterion of truth."

Throughout his clip successful politics, Trump has characterized the accomplishment of migrants astatine the U.S. borderline arsenic an "invasion" – adjacent arsenic galore person been displaced by economical uncertainty, unit and clime change. Since returning to the White House successful January, Trump has shaken the satellite order, alienating long-time allies and seemingly cozying up to autocratic leaders similar Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungary's Viktor Orban.

Though the predetermination of a U.S. pope seemed intolerable to adjacent watchers of the church, the "Trump effect" connected America and the planetary planetary order, Faggioli said, is 1 of the things that "made the intolerable possible."

"The United States is simply a large uncertainty for the Vatican arsenic well," Faggioli said. "And electing a pope from the United States is 1 mode for the Vatican to research what this caller America means for the satellite and for the church."

Andrea Gallardo, 20, from Texas, wears an American emblem aft Pope Leo XIV appeared connected the balcony of St Peter's Basilica pursuing his election, astatine the Vatican, Thursday, May 8. Paolo Santalucia/AP hide caption

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Paolo Santalucia/AP

The caller pope's narration with Trump and the U.S.

Reverend William Lego, who leads the Saint Turibius Parish successful Chicago and has known the caller pope astir of his life, said that arsenic with immoderate governmental leader, Leo and Trump volition person an "interesting relationship."

Lego has known Leo since the 2 were successful sixth grade. They attended precocious school, seminary and Villanova together. He said that Leo was ever "centered connected helping people. He was ever doing stuff, ever precise serviceable, arsenic they say, precise consenting to bash things."

Leo's accidental "to unrecorded with and enactment with the mediocre … honed for him his calling," Lego said.

As acold arsenic what the church's connection to the U.S and the satellite is with Leo's election, Lego said helium isn't sure.

"If the religion is unfastened to the spirit, the tone volition look for astatine the clip astir apt the champion oregon campaigner to pb the church. And our relation arsenic Catholics passim the satellite is erstwhile that look of the tone becomes nationalist … our adjacent travel is we statesman to enactment unneurotic and proceed to observe however the tone is live successful the world," Lego said.

He continued, saying "now with an American pope possibly that position, from his constituent of presumption of power, could beryllium utilized for a payment of all. There's ever 2 sides to a coin."

This integer nonfiction was based connected vigor stories edited by Ashley Westermann and produced by Nia Dumas.