The First American Pope may be the Savior the Left Needs in 2025

by J. Ryder

May 8, 2025

The white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel on a warm spring evening in the Vatican on Thursday; a new pope has been chosen. People hurried to St. Peter’s Basilica for the arrival of the new leader of over 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. Out of the chapel emerged Pope Leo XIV, the chosen papal name of the man otherwise known as Robert Francis Prevost. With the decision only taking 2 days to arrive, a notably quick process made the election of Pope Leo one of the shortest conclaves in modern history. This leaves us wondering, what message is the church trying to send with the arrival of this new pope? One so quickly chosen yet relatively unheard of must imply some level of deeper purpose for an increasingly political Catholic Church. It doesn’t take long to realize the direction the papacy is attempting to go in when you realize Robert F. Prevost is a native Chicagoan, the first American pope in history. One may ask: what does this imply for American, and thus global politics? At first glance, another elderly white clergyman might seem an unlikely agent of progressive political change. However, that conclusion becomes increasingly dubious upon a closer reading of the man, and the clear message that the church is trying to send with his election. 

Despite much controversy surrounding the new pope, including both criticism and confusion online from a left that had favorites who were not chosen in this election, something immediately becomes clear within Prevost’s chosen papal name. The name Leo was last used by Pope Leo XIII in the late 1800s, whose papacy was marked by his catalytic text, Rerum Novarum, a document outlining workers rights ordained by God including the right to unions, fair wages, and human working conditions. The notoriety of Leo XIII's papacy makes clear that Prevost’s name choice is an homage to his 19th century progressive predecessor, likely indicating a forthcoming campaign of the same ilk. Others inspired by Leo XIII include none other than the late Pope Francis, who commonly referenced the principles and themes of Rerum Novarum within his own texts. 

To call Pope Francis left-leaning would be an understatement. He traveled the world appealing to the poor, hungry, and those seeking refuge through Catholicism. It wasn’t uncommon for Francis to explicitly criticize what he called ‘unbridled capitalism’, even going as far to say, “It is the communists who think like Christians. Christ spoke of a society where the poor, the weak and the marginalized have the right to decide.” Despite quite valid controversies surrounding the Catholic Church and its practices, what is undeniable is the tangible impact that Francis’ leftward papacy had in a time where global politics was, and is, characterized almost entirely by the rise of far-right leadership. 

The utilization of Christianity has been central to the rise of fascism in the United States, with most of the rural white protestant institutions falling in line with Trump and the Republican Party in recent years. What has always been out of reach for Trump and his cohorts, however, is the Catholic Church. Throughout both of his tenures as president, Trump had to deal with the 12 year papacy of progressive Pope Francis, a fraught relationship that undeniably alienated the Republicans from a sizable portion of the Catholic demographic; a thorn in his side to say the least. Francis was not infrequently found in public spats with the president, saying in 2016, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian." with Trump firing back, "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS... the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President." This particular feud went on for almost the entirety of Francis’ papacy; what happened next, however, is perhaps most indicative of the significance this new papacy holds: Trump attended Francis’ funeral anyway. The president’s hot headed opinions of the pope were clearly suppressed by his advisors, who undoubtedly pulled him aside to say ‘hey, this is important for us’. 

Trump’s reluctant presence at the late pope’s funeral indicates a sort of desperation from his administration, almost like the papacy was the last remaining domain to conquer for their complete domination of modern Christianity; perhaps not an untrue conclusion. A conservative pope in 2025 would be a huge bonus for the already seemingly unstoppable momentum the far-right in America has had in recent years; a man who speaks on behalf of 1.4 billion Catholics (and even allegedly on behalf of God!), is a powerful political ally for anybody let alone a divisive president claiming to be motivated primarily by Christianity. 

The pope who emerged from the Sistine Chapel on Thursday was the last man the Trump Administration wanted to see, however, with Pope Leo being a long time confidant of Francis who many are saying is ‘of the same mould’. As a cardinal, Prevost would often be seen agreeing and even reposting statements from Pope Francis and alike critical of the Trump Administration’s clearly fictitious and self-motivated public adherence to Christianity. The relatively young 69 year old will now likely have a decades-long platform to speak directly to the American people about the state of their country, and its place in the world, much like Francis did, but the difference this time is the man speaks perfect English. And not only that, he will be able to speak to Americans not as a foreigner, but from direct experience –fluent in both our language and our culture. 

This is a moment perhaps reminiscent in a sense of the premiership of Maurice Bishop, the revolutionary leader of Grenada in the 1970s and 80s. Bishop was a unique threat in the ideological Cold War because he was one of, if not the only significant leaders fluent in English advocating on behalf of socialism. Even though Bishop only held power of a small island country for a short few years, he was a thorn in the side of the American government through his ability to speak directly to the American people in their own words. His premature assassination was quickly welcomed by the then incumbent Reagan Administration, with the American President ordering for the immediate invasion of Grenada and overthrow of what remained of Bishop’s communist government following his displacement. Such an intervention was only made viable after Bishop’s displacement and execution due to the protection provided by his overwhelming popularity both in Grenada and abroad, this popularity was garnered mostly by his noted ability in the skill of oration. Bishop studied law in London and his ability to rally a crowd around his eloquent charisma was legendary; unlike Castro or Brezhnev though, he didn’t need subtitles or an interpreter to convey it. I hope not to be misinterpreted as to be saying that Pope Leo might be of the same radical strain as a great revolutionary leader like Maurice Bishop, however, the potential for the same fluent resonance remains, and with a seemingly comatose American left suffering defeat after defeat to Trump and the Republican Party, such resonance should be very welcomed in 2025. 

At the very least, this will undoubtedly fuel the feud between the Trump Administration and the Papacy to an even greater extent, with the new Pope having already been seen on social media mirroring the criticisms of his late predecessor. There is potential for Pope Leo to become a significant ally of the United States left in the ongoing culture war, perhaps a catalyst to energize an otherwise dormant movement to unite in the face of fascist repression; such is only possible, though, if we are willing and able to accept it. Congratulatory social media statements from both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance show that clearly they believe the pope could still be captured by their admittedly strong political orbit, but this seems more out of desperation than any sort of rationale. Trump and the GOP are ready for an American pope to be on their side, but is the left?

Many on the left are suspicious of the Catholic Church, and perhaps rightly so; the long standing institution has had scandal after scandal, including the most widely known and horrific systematic sexual assault against minors uncovered in the early 2000s. These scandals were explicitly denounced by Pope Francis though, with his surprise election to the papacy being a marked departure from the traditionalism of his predecessors, most notably Benedict XVI. The conservative German pope had to resign in 2013, an act highly taboo for the papacy that had not been done in almost 600 years prior, was forced due to the sheer unpopularity of his politics. The new direction the Church has gone in since is notable for the left to say the least, and for a movement seeking direction and desperate for allies, it is perhaps not unfair to quote the long standing saying: beggars can’t be choosers. Only time will tell how the new papacy will play out politically, but the American left should welcome with open arms any advances by Pope Leo to attempt to reconcile our fractured movement, one that has hitherto largely chosen to live in the margins rather than the mainstage of both American and global politics. A pope who speaks our language, both literally and politically, may be exactly what the left needs to find its voice again.

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