The Papacy Has a New Face. And a Digital Footprint

The highly-anticipated conclave has finally closed. Pope Francis undeniably left big black shoes to fill — I mean, in his final wish, the guy donated one of his Popemobiles to help the children of Gaza as a mobile health clinic. But as it turns out, Robert Prevost — aka Pope Leo XIV — has taken the throne.

Overnight, this Chi-Town cardinal became the world’s first ever American pope — as if a divine irony in an age when the US presidency looms large in global faith and politics.

Despite your feelings for the former pope, Francis became the first pope of his kind — the kind who asked, “Who am I to judge?” when inquired about homosexuality. As it turns out, his replacement happens to have been a big fan — contrary to the position infamously asserted by North American clergy.

In fact, the new pope chose the name, Leo XIV, to reference Pope Leo XIII (widely regarded as the “Social Pope” and the “Pope of the Working Man”) — who famously outlined the rights of workers to a fair wage in 1891, championed safe working conditions and the formation of trade unions, all while advocating for rights to a free market.

Pope Leo XIV, a former missionary, teacher, parish priest, seminary professor and judicial vicar in two poor suburbs of Peru, taught Canon Law, Patristics and Moral Theology. 

That field — also called “Christian Ethics” — asks how faith does and should shape human behavior and moral responsibility.

Those who understand Leo’s studies, religion and life experience will likely make a sound assumption about his political views. Leo’s digital footprint includes recent criticisms of J.D. Vance, Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. He tweeted that Trump’s first campaign “problematic, anti-immigrant rhetoric,” called Vance “wrong” about his utilization of Christian theology to justify the administration’s treatment of immigrants and criticized his misinterpretation of a dense bit of theology — “ordo amoris.”

For this, Laura Loomer, a far-right 9/11 conspiracy theorist who advises Trump on national security staffing decisions has written him off as a “WOKE MARXIST POPE,” and began spinning a conspiracy theory about the Catholic Church — as an entity — being controlled by the mysterious and powerful woke mob. In another tweet, Loomer wrote:

The idea that the only reason for the figurehead atop the clerical hierarchy’s “pro-open Border” position is his compliance in the “liberal agenda” is a result of the very accusation itself. For MAGA members like Loomer, the instant assumption for a follower of Jesus — a historical migrant and symbol of unconditional love and acceptance — is a mastermind operation against the true understanding of the religion, primarily spearheaded by Donald Trump’s administration.

Those who take the teachings of Christ seriously though, might land on the same conclusion: solidarity is not Marxist. It’s Christian. Others have yet to compose a critically-sound conclusion for why embodying “WWJD” be off-brand for The Church.

As Columnist David French pointed out:

“What is going on?” French asks.

At the end of the day, both Pope Francis and Leo represent the modern-day Catholic Church.

And during Francis’s final weeks, he wrote a message to US bishops: If Jesus Christ was within your borders, without documentation, and you believe that [his] theology supports casting him aside — rather than honoring thy brother — you’ve critically misunderstood this religion.