General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI kinda like the new Pope.
I think he's kind of cute, looks good for 69, and I like his background. I don't know much about him. I did like Pizzaballa for the name, but I really like the Pope's new name Leo. Pope Leo. I'm sure there will be ideas of his that I don't like, but I'm not Catholic, so I can oppose anything I don't like.
The main thing is, he seems to be in opposition to Trump, et al., and doesn't seem to be afraid to state it. So far, so good. I hope he never lets himself be summoned to the WH. I don't think he can be, but I think that as the head of the Catholic Church, people go to him. I hope he can travel around to visit poor people, and all that stuff. I hope that he adds a new dimension to Christianity in the sense that he points out that all these rump clowns are not practicing Christianity as they claim.
Congratulations, Catholics everywhere. I hope you are happy with the choice! Pope Leo. That's cool. Have to get him in a pair of shades. Is that allowed?

Walleye
(40,690 posts)I think he is prepared to take the power and is rightfully his. It should be interesting. Another American, who is as powerful on a level with Trump. If he’s a decent human being, he will be just the opposite of Donald
multigraincracker
(35,724 posts)Dorian Gray
(13,806 posts)I think the American Church has been at odds with the papacy and with politics. You have right wing charlatans coming into catholicism and grifting while driving division.
I believe Prevost is an attempt to be an antidote to that.
Catholic Cardinals tend to be outside of political leanings as we know them. Prevost is a champion of immigrants. He's a very Pro-Life man. He's a diplomat. He's soft spoken. He respects the Latin Mass. He publicly chided JD Vance.
There will be areas where people on this board will have deep disagreements with him and other where we celebrate him and the trad types will be furious.
What I think I trust him to do is address those disagreements with dignity and respect for both parties.
My sincerest hope is that he helps heal the divide in the American Church while being a strong leader with an American voice that challenges the Trump admin in its excesses. A voice that will show continued respect for the dignity of migrants and their challenges. A voice that will show us that we don't have to hate each other or fear those we don't know.
EndlessWire
(7,805 posts)regnaD kciN
(27,065 posts)…because the previous two traditionalist Popes spent over three decades trying to bring the “liberal” American church to heel, through appointing conservative bishops throughout the U.S., and promoting the most “successful” of those to higher and higher positions and appointing them to the College of Cardinals. Although we might not like to admit it, they largely succeeded. In part, they imposed litmus tests to make sure only obediently-traditionalist seminarians made it through to the priesthood, both to “lay down the law” to their congregations and to become future bishops themselves, so that the vicious circle would be self-sustaining. This is why we saw the spectacle, in the 2020 elections, of bishops in a number of diocese sending out pastoral letters to be read in all parishes commanding the faithful, under the threat of eternal damnation, to vote for “pro-life” Trump over their fellow Catholic Biden.
It’s why we’ve seen such a growth of “rad-trads,” especially among young priests, and why such an anti-Francis sentiment has been allowed to flourish in the American church.
Those factions have been hoping that the next Pope would be a “return to normalcy,” ditching all that liberal talk about caring for the poor and the marginalized and going back to the good old days where the Catholic political agenda was limited to a hardline opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. And, while it’s too soon to tell what course Leo will take, the fact that far-right Roman Catholics like Bannon and Loomer are yelping like whipped dogs over the choice can only be counted as a positive.
LisaM
(29,215 posts)Thankfully, he seems as if he is going to. Overall, it's a good thing.
Most American Catholics are far more liberal than the conservative Catholics who have tried to muscle control of things. I find it very similar to how the Republicans - many of whose ideas are in the minority - are bent on wresting control of the US government.
COL Mustard
(7,392 posts)I hope he's everything he seems to be, because I like what I'm hearing.
Now if he can just change some things on birth control and the place of women in the church....or is that too much to hope for?
Kid Berwyn
(20,486 posts)Birthplace of many good White Sox fans.
LetMyPeopleVote
(163,804 posts)mvd
(65,647 posts)The only thing I don’t like are some of his LGBT writings, but perhaps he evolved to become more like Pope Francis.