Habemus Papam!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is so exciting!!

They probably said ‘we need an American to get those American idiot politicians in line’…

Joking aside, I think this is absolutely true. 6 months ago, he would not have gotten this vote. It is expected he will go head to head with current admin. He seems like a great leader!! I’m so excited.

Do they really look at it like this? Were there similar messages sent in the past? I know there are Vatican politics among them, but how does the decision concern worldwide politics? And why do people think the choice means something about US power (that it means we are in a decline, for instance)?

They are living in the same world that we are. Except they have a more objective perspective. JD Vance was incredibly disrespectful to Pope Francis in his last hours. Could that have impacted the vote? Absolutely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So to those who say he’s a liberal, what about this?

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/08/pope-robert-prevost-lgbt/

I don’t believe anyone has used the term liberal. But the fact that he aligns with Francis on his support of marginalized population is a plus. He would not have been chosen if he was seen as liberal.

Correct. But he’s been vocal against JD Vance on Twitter.

And he retweeted Chris Murphy!

Murphy is my personal choice for 2028. Just love him. No clue if he plans to run but he already has my vote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So to those who say he’s a liberal, what about this?

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/08/pope-robert-prevost-lgbt/

I don’t believe anyone has used the term liberal. But the fact that he aligns with Francis on his support of marginalized population is a plus. He would not have been chosen if he was seen as liberal.

Correct. But he’s been vocal against JD Vance on Twitter.

And he retweeted Chris Murphy!

Murphy is my personal choice for 2028. Just love him. No clue if he plans to run but he already has my vote.

Agreed. I know a former staffer who is his biggest fan, which gives me even more faith in him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So to those who say he’s a liberal, what about this?

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/08/pope-robert-prevost-lgbt/

He is a liberal Catholic. Pro-Latin America. Which is a very specific thing.

He is pro-choice of course. Also anti-IVF and any reproductive technology.

Anti-LGBT and Gay marriage. Both of these are not optional for someone who is in that kind of a position of power within the Church.

He is also someone who likely has a Latin American sensibility about distribution of wealth and does not love the new power we have deemed billionaires worthy of.

He holds the position that the Catholic Church long has on immigration, on meeting the needs of the poor and on the environment and the need for Peace.

None of this puts him out of step with the Bishops of the world, with the US Bishops' Conference or with the Vatican.
The fact that he has navigated the Vatican for so long means that he won't be easily tripped up.

I think it's a great choice. And yes, most definitely a choice meant to put a check on any of the US Conservative Catholics (Supreme Court Justices, anyone?) who think that they are called by their faith to affirm immigrants being sent to concentration camps. Obviously.

According to MSN, he's also a registered Republican, something that has been verified by other news sources (e.g., NewsMax).

I'm the PP who wrote this. It doesn't surprise me that he's a registered Republican. That doesn't contradict anything I wrote. Liberal Catholic is not at all the same thing as progressive.

Another Chicagoan who registered Republican as a young person: HRC.

[Anonymous]

Also did not think an American had a chance, unless administrative skills, especially for finances, rose very high in the cardinals' list of concerns.

Am thinking this must have happend; the finances of the Vatican are a mess. American cardinals are seen as scoring the highest in management and financial capabilities.

I have not heard specifically about Pope Leo's skills in this regard, but he was twice elected the prior general of the Augustinian order globally; this would not have happened in the absence of strong administrative skills. This expertise may have weighed heavily in the cardinals' choice. But certainly it helped that he is seen as a moderate and is also a citizen of Peru.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rut roh.

Prevost has faced criticism from advocates for clergy abuse survivors regarding his handling of sexual abuse allegations during his leadership in the Augustinian order and in Peru. The advocacy group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) has alleged that Prevost failed to act against abuse claims involving Richard McGrath, a former president of Providence Catholic High School, allowing him to remain in his position despite longstanding accusations.

None of the clerics who have had any level of significant responsibility are untouched by this scandal. This doesn't make him any better or worse than the rest.

Just feeling like the bar for Pope should be higher. He’s not the dog catcher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So to those who say he’s a liberal, what about this?

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/08/pope-robert-prevost-lgbt/

He is a liberal Catholic. Pro-Latin America. Which is a very specific thing.

He is pro-choice of course. Also anti-IVF and any reproductive technology.

Anti-LGBT and Gay marriage. Both of these are not optional for someone who is in that kind of a position of power within the Church.

He is also someone who likely has a Latin American sensibility about distribution of wealth and does not love the new power we have deemed billionaires worthy of.

He holds the position that the Catholic Church long has on immigration, on meeting the needs of the poor and on the environment and the need for Peace.

None of this puts him out of step with the Bishops of the world, with the US Bishops' Conference or with the Vatican.
The fact that he has navigated the Vatican for so long means that he won't be easily tripped up.

I think it's a great choice. And yes, most definitely a choice meant to put a check on any of the US Conservative Catholics (Supreme Court Justices, anyone?) who think that they are called by their faith to affirm immigrants being sent to concentration camps. Obviously.

According to MSN, he's also a registered Republican, something that has been verified by other news sources (e.g., NewsMax).

I'm the PP who wrote this. It doesn't surprise me that he's a registered Republican. That doesn't contradict anything I wrote. Liberal Catholic is not at all the same thing as progressive.

The Democrats position on abortion makes it pretty impossible for prominent clergy to register as a Democrat. Life begins at conception in this thinking and that is that, regardless of the circumstances of conception. And the innocent unborn need protection. It's not complicated in this thinking. Life is life.

But don't think for a minute that Catholic leaders aren't liberal on other issues, especially the exploitation of workers by billionaires like Trump and Musk and their JD Vance lackeys.

It's a very interesting choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is fascinating:

https://bsky.app/profile/reichlinmelnick.bsky.social/post/3looh2t6zhc2e

Text in case the link doesn't work:

"The new Pope didn't tweet once in 2024. In 2025, he's posted 5 times, in which he:

- Criticized JD Vance's views on Catholicism and Jesus
- Posted an article opposing Trump's immigration policies
- Retweeted twice about the Pope's health
- Retweeted a criticism of Trump & Bukele's laughter at KAG."

It is very hard to view this as unintentional. The first pope born in the United States selected. He's vocally criticized both Trump and Vance in the last three months after being entirely silent prior to that and not posting about a single other political issue in that time. One of the last acts of Pope Francis, who was very close to Pope Leo in life, was to meet with Vance. AND don't forget that the meeting between Trump and Zelensky that precipitated the US suddenly getting much tougher with Russia literally occurred at Pope Francis's funeral, in the Vatican. The chairs were placed by bishops or cardinals (I can't remember which!).

There is a message being sent here.

The message is that he's a savvy politician who understood an American who supported the Trump administration had exactly zero chance of being elected pope. He knew very well he was 'papabile' and had a particular strategy going into the conclave, which was successful. Fine with me, all for the greater good to have a synodalist committed to human rights in that position.

The message is that he's a Peruvian national who genuinely detests Trump's immigration policies. No need to try to twist him into Machiavelli, that's just dumb.

He was born in Chicago, no?

Chicago-born American of French descent who worked in Peru missions for many years and became a citizen there. Has spent many years in Rome in the global bishops office, which is also why he was elected, since he got to know a lot of people. Speaks fluent Spanish and Italian. Very cosmopolitan, which usually means *not regressive*.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else notice the absence of MAGA Catholics commenting here??

Bodes well, I think, for us non-MAGA types

Just say MAGA. A MAGA Catholic would be a contradiction in terms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rut roh.

Prevost has faced criticism from advocates for clergy abuse survivors regarding his handling of sexual abuse allegations during his leadership in the Augustinian order and in Peru. The advocacy group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) has alleged that Prevost failed to act against abuse claims involving Richard McGrath, a former president of Providence Catholic High School, allowing him to remain in his position despite longstanding accusations.

None of the clerics who have had any level of significant responsibility are untouched by this scandal. This doesn't make him any better or worse than the rest.

Just feeling like the bar for Pope should be higher. He’s not the dog catcher.

There are millions of boxes to be checked for Pope.

Cardinals do not concern themselves with who covered up abuse, because everyone did. The Church of today has made a ton of progress in that area, but when these cardinals were younger... they all knew abusers within their ranks. They just check the box for Who Did Not Commit Sexual Abuse. Any kind of personal sexual scandal, like having an affair, for example, is disqualifying. That's the sex angle.

The financial angle is: is the person good at managing money? Has the person been involved in any shady financial dealings? The Church is a hotbed of potential corruption because of lot of money circulates at all times, often in cash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rut roh.

Prevost has faced criticism from advocates for clergy abuse survivors regarding his handling of sexual abuse allegations during his leadership in the Augustinian order and in Peru. The advocacy group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) has alleged that Prevost failed to act against abuse claims involving Richard McGrath, a former president of Providence Catholic High School, allowing him to remain in his position despite longstanding accusations.

None of the clerics who have had any level of significant responsibility are untouched by this scandal. This doesn't make him any better or worse than the rest.

Just feeling like the bar for Pope should be higher. He’s not the dog catcher.

Which Cardinals meet that bar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So to those who say he’s a liberal, what about this?

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/08/pope-robert-prevost-lgbt/

He is a liberal Catholic. Pro-Latin America. Which is a very specific thing.

He is pro-choice of course. Also anti-IVF and any reproductive technology.

Anti-LGBT and Gay marriage. Both of these are not optional for someone who is in that kind of a position of power within the Church.

He is also someone who likely has a Latin American sensibility about distribution of wealth and does not love the new power we have deemed billionaires worthy of.

He holds the position that the Catholic Church long has on immigration, on meeting the needs of the poor and on the environment and the need for Peace.

None of this puts him out of step with the Bishops of the world, with the US Bishops' Conference or with the Vatican.
The fact that he has navigated the Vatican for so long means that he won't be easily tripped up.

I think it's a great choice. And yes, most definitely a choice meant to put a check on any of the US Conservative Catholics (Supreme Court Justices, anyone?) who think that they are called by their faith to affirm immigrants being sent to concentration camps. Obviously.

According to MSN, he's also a registered Republican, something that has been verified by other news sources (e.g., NewsMax).

I'm the PP who wrote this. It doesn't surprise me that he's a registered Republican. That doesn't contradict anything I wrote. Liberal Catholic is not at all the same thing as progressive.

The Democrats position on abortion makes it pretty impossible for prominent clergy to register as a Democrat. Life begins at conception in this thinking and that is that, regardless of the circumstances of conception. And the innocent unborn need protection. It's not complicated in this thinking. Life is life.

But don't think for a minute that Catholic leaders aren't liberal on other issues, especially the exploitation of workers by billionaires like Trump and Musk and their JD Vance lackeys.

It's a very interesting choice.

The Republican positions on multiple issues are totally incompatible with Catholic teaching. If that's your standard, he can't register with any party. Remember Pope Francis advocated for mercy for women who had abortions, recognized the hypocrisy of not providing materially and spiritually for women who don't abort, and emphasized the responsibility of the Church to lovingly assist. He also rebuked the narrow minded and said that failing to help migrants and those in poverty was equally sinful.

https://www.prograce.org/blog/what-pope-francis-said-and-didn-t-say-about-abortion

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/09/world/pope-abortion-holiness/index.html#:~:text=Pope%20Francis%20says%20helping%20the,as%20important%20as%20opposing%20abortion&text=Pope%20Francis%20rebukes%20narrow%2Dminded,unveiled%20Monday%20by%20the%20Vatican.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:His dad was French and Italian, and his mom is Spanish with the last name Martinez. He is a Peruvian citizen as well.

I imagine he was picked to navigate the American political scene as well as appeal to Latin America.

His mother is Black. https://www.nola.com/news/first-american-pope-roots-new-orleans/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rut roh.

Prevost has faced criticism from advocates for clergy abuse survivors regarding his handling of sexual abuse allegations during his leadership in the Augustinian order and in Peru. The advocacy group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) has alleged that Prevost failed to act against abuse claims involving Richard McGrath, a former president of Providence Catholic High School, allowing him to remain in his position despite longstanding accusations.

None of the clerics who have had any level of significant responsibility are untouched by this scandal. This doesn't make him any better or worse than the rest.

Just feeling like the bar for Pope should be higher. He’s not the dog catcher.

Which Cardinals meet that bar?

Cardinal Steve from Ohio maybe .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His dad was French and Italian, and his mom is Spanish with the last name Martinez. He is a Peruvian citizen as well.

I imagine he was picked to navigate the American political scene as well as appeal to Latin America.

His mother is Black. https://www.nola.com/news/first-american-pope-roots-new-orleans/

Did you read this on lipstickalley.com like I just did ha ha! Nola.com was like "just so you know...he's (part) black by the way". Fun pope announcement day evening development!