Some believe that politics does not take into account in the election of a pope. Leon XIV demonstrates the opposite.
Besides, in the minutes after the election of Leon XIV, Donald Trump expressed his haste to meet him.
In 2024, 58% of American Catholics voted for Trump.
Does this mean that Leon XIV will marry Trump’s policies, among other immigration? Not necessarily.
Having spent a large part of his life in Peru, it is likely that he will oppose it. But to what extent?
The Pope’s first words concerned peace. Peace is a noble concern. But how can Leon XIV really make it progress? The Vatican has few impacts on this subject.
And Léon XIV is not recognized as a diplomat, even if it is polyglot and that he administered the Augustins around the world.
Impacts on American Society
On the other hand, the election of Leon XIV will have significant repercussions on American society.
The Trump administration has embarked on the path of fundamentalist rear he is, even if it means risking a drift towards theocracy.
Pope Leo XIV could support it in this path.
Léon XIV does not shine by his charisma. It even seems a little shy. It will therefore be easy for Trump to overshadow him in his meetings with him.
Arbitrator
This American pope could easily be assimilated to Trump’s policies. This would be disastrous for the Catholic Church.
Conversely, if the new Pope is too close to the reformist currents, he could strengthen the divisions of the Church.
Leon XIV, in principle, can reach difficult balances.
He was born in the United States, but spent many years in Peru. His mother is French, his father, Italian. The US Catholics are for some very conservative, for others, very reformist.
In other words, the cardinals seem to have sought a referee to sail between polarizations, both in the Church and in the rest of the world, with the hope of reconciling them.
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