The American Pope: An Infallible Opposition to Trump?

The world seemed to still as the white smoke poured out of the chimney – only the seagulls moved. A brief moment of realisation, before an eruption of cheers. Who would we get? Cardinal Tagle? Zuppi? Which face would arrive on the balcony in an hour? Which historic ‘first’ would we get? We waited, and waited, and finally… wait, who is that?

To many of you this is a familiar turn of events – when Leo XIV was announced, many frantically googled the name ‘Robert Prevost’. “He’s an American?” we said, confused. “His diocese is in Peru? Interesting”. However, the papal conclave is not an election like any other. We really had no way of predicting who would be pope – an Ipsos poll is, unfortunately, unavailable as cardinals descend on the Vatican. Or rather, God did, if you go in for that sort of thing.

Many do, including JD Vance, a converted Catholic who met Pope Francis before his death on Easter Monday. Despite the (somewhat) light-hearted memes on X, accusing the Vice President of causing the death of his holiness, Vance was surely saddened by the passing of his pontiff. Many conservatives, however, had hoped for a change in leadership to be a shift to the ‘right’, if we can even put papal politics in those terms.

Progressivism was off their agenda, previously championed by Francis in his opposition to anti-immigration policies and his openness towards LGBTQ+ members of the church. On the ‘left’ of Catholicism, many hoped for a continuation of Francis’ policies. What we got in Leo XIV is a little more of Francis in some ways, and a little less in others.

As is the trend across current leadership, the less disruptive, most sensible, and (small ‘c’) conservative option is on the rise. ‘Business as usual’ – a response to the volatility of the Trump presidency’s first 100 days. The likes of Mark Carney, Friedrich Merz, and Anthony Albanese, all recently elected to office, fit this description. Leo XIV has one crucial twist – he’s American, and he’s certainly not a MAGA guy.

Chicago’s very own Robert Prevost seems, at least from the outside, to be a typical Catholic voter. He’s a lifelong Republican, but likely a ‘never-Trumper’, outspoken against Vance’s unique brand of American Catholicism. In response to the VP’s assertions that Christianity teaches us to put family and country first, the future pope unequivocally denounced these claims. ‘JD Vance is wrong’, he declared on X. It seems a shame his infallibility only went into effect after the conclave.

As many are lamenting, the Democratic Party is devoid of leadership. Only Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, are regularly appearing on social media feeds discussing a response to Trump’s second presidency. Unfortunately, the party is divided in a time it desperately needs a plan. This need for unity was clearly shared by the cardinals, and as a result we have Leo XIV, a supporter of Francis’ agenda, able to make concessions to conservatives where necessary.  

The main break from tradition, Prevost being an American, is perhaps deliberate. Speculation on how the conclave hashed out is pointless, but it does seem interesting that in such a changing time for the United States the church picked an American pope. Whilst Trump celebrated this, leaving many abroad hating to see America ‘winning’, the president might want to count his blessings.

Through picking an American pope, a clear message of opposition can be sent to the United States, and this time the ‘infallible’ spokesperson is one of their own. Trump may see this as a win for the country, but Leo XIV’s disdain for the president’s far right policies will offer a challenge to the Trump administration.

An American Christian leader speaking against the policies of Trump and Vance, advocating for Palestinians, and denouncing Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. Whilst the Democrats are struggling to find a mouthpiece, they just gained a strong ally, one with unimaginable influence over Catholics in America.

The Democrats are in shambles – this is undisputable. Whilst Leo XIV cannot be the only American opposition to Trump, his presence is certainly welcomed by those hoping to disrupt the president’s power and influence. If evangelicals argued God saved Trump from assassination, it would seem God has sent an antithesis to the president in response. His newfound presence in the Anti-Trump coalition is, for many Americans, somewhat of a miracle.