But what is this new pope like? Is he Bergoglian or conservative? And, again, was it Donald Trump who elected him, or is he anti-Trump? These are some of the questions Catholics, and not only Catholics, have been asking themselves since last night, since Robert Francis Prevost became Leo XIV. It’s too early to give answers, and analyses of the stole, the headdress, etc., are almost useless…
Nothing is changing in the Roman Curia for now.
The only certain thing is that the first major decision taken by the new Pontiff was to provisionally confirm all Curia positions and reserve a period of “reflection, prayer, and dialogue” before making definitive decisions.
But, on the other hand, immediate dismissals or replacements would have been highly unlikely. There will be no restructuring of Vatican power in the short term: “His Holiness Leo XIV has expressed his will that the heads and members of the institutions of the Roman Curia, as well as the secretaries and the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, continue, provisionally, in their respective positions donec aliter provideatur,” that is, until otherwise arranged, according to a statement released yesterday. The Pontiff also confirmed the position of Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
Leo XIV’s Political Predictions
However, we will soon see if Leo XIV confirms what was said about him, namely, that he was a moderate Bergoglian. He will likely maintain the same previous momentum in the chapters related to the Church’s social doctrine, closeness to the poor and migrants, the promotion of peace, and attention to the environment. And there may be some slowdown in issues such as sexual morality, civil rights, and ethical questions, where Prevost does not consider himself progressive.
It will be understandable if he continues to use as prefect Bergoglio’s reference theologian, the Argentine Víctor Manuel Fernández, who is also responsible for the Fiducia supplicans document that liberalized the blessing of same-sex couples. In short, let’s calm down and we’ll find out.
Meanwhile, J.D. Vance threatens to go to Rome for the enthronement.
However, politics is the most excited: for the Pope’s enthronement Mass, scheduled for May 18, US Vice President J.D. Vance could return to Rome, the last foreign leader to meet with Pope Francis, two days before Bergoglio’s death (perhaps not good luck…). Meanwhile, the US media, immediately after the election of the “made in USA” Pope, recalled some posts critical of the vice president and, in general, of Trump’s immigration policies, retweeted by the then-cardinal.
Meanwhile, Bannon is tearing his hair out: “The worst choice for Catholics in Maga.”
The one who openly tore at Prevost’s choice was Steven Bannon, a leading figure in Donald Trump’s Catholic allies, who believes Leo XVI will be an “anti-Trump Pope.” For Bannon, he is the “worst choice for Catholics in Maga. This was an anti-Trump vote by the globalists who control the Curia; this is what Pope Bergoglio and his circle wanted,” added the former Trump strategist.
The American Church: “Leo XIV is not a counterweight to Trump.”
Meanwhile, two American cardinals of opposing ideologies—one conservative, the other reformist—have taken pains to point out that Leo XIV was not chosen to act as a “counterweight” to Trump. “I don’t think the fact that Cardinal Prevost comes from the United States had much weight,” declared New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, an ultra-conservative close to the US president. “And we shouldn’t be scared of considering Pope Leo as a bridge-builder. That’s what the Latin word ‘pontiff’ means. I don’t think at all that my brother cardinals considered him a counterweight to anyone,” he added, quoted by CNN.
The comment of Washington Cardinal Wilton Daniel Gregory, a representative of the progressive wing and therefore considered anti-Trump, is similar: the conclave, he vehemently clarified, “is not the continuation of an American political election,” but is based on “the desire to strengthen the Christian faith in the people of God.”