When white smoke blew from the Sistine Chapel on May 8, I watched as a multicultural crowd in Rome broke out into relief, joy and hope. When the new Pope was announced as an American shortly after, I felt an immense sense of pride. I’m not deeply religious or Catholic, but hearing positive news associated with the United States, especially given our rocky political climate, felt like a bright spot. It got me thinking about the political and cultural influence of having our nation’s first pope.
It would be remiss to mention an American religious figure without mentioning our country’s seismic shift towards Christian nationalism. By definition, Christian nationalists are those who believe that America’s roots, laws and religion should be Christian. This form of nationalism aligns with uplifting white identity, and according to author Sarah Posner, is a reactionary response to the late 20th-century movements that promulgated the separation of church and state and expanded rights for minorities.
Trump weaponized white religious nationalism to secure a presidential victory. The current president relentlessly pushed this ideology, whether it was through selling his personalized version of the Bible titled “God Bless the US” or preaching to God during campaign rallies. Beyond what some would argue as performative acts of Christianity, there also lies a deeper racial rhetoric in Trump’s religious appeal: white dominance. Despite how disingenuous it may be, Trump’s Christian values reverberate with white Christian nationalists who utilize religion as a cover for pursuing racialized policies: mass deportations, preventing abortion and ridding federal organizations of DEI policies.
Given all of this, an American pope’s opinion wields significant moral and religious power in political discourse, especially on Trump’s policies in office. So what has Pope Leo XIV said on American politics so far?
The Pope’s voting record shows that he has voted in more Republican primaries than Democratic ones, which indicates that while he may lean conservative, he still shares a mix of both parties’ views. Pope Leo XIV’s American identity also gives him an unprecedented role in politics. He is fluent in English, while the last three popes were not. Some argue that the lack of English proficiency of past popes meant Democratic or Republican pundits could misconstrue papal opinions to serve their own political ends. As a Chicago native, Pope Leo XIV cannot be misunderstood.
This type of encounter between U.S. politics and the Pope may seem taboo to us Americans because the separation between church and state is a constitutionally enshrined First Amendment right. These confrontations are exactly what our nation needs right now.
The Pope is no stranger to commenting on Donald Trump – his retweeted posts criticizing anti-immigration date back to 2015. Before his papacy, Pope Leo XIV expressed his critique of the Trump-Vance administration by sharing posts on X that detailed his positions against deportation practices, especially condemning Vice President Vance’s use of Christianity to justify harsh policies towards immigrants. The Pope’s pointed view on this issue is important, especially because 28% of Americans list immigration as the top issue the country faces today.
Pope Leo XIV also opposes same-sex marriage and abortion, a view similar to his predecessor and longtime friend, the late Pope Francis. In mid-May, the Pope reaffirmed that the family is a “stable union between a man and a woman.” Although Pope Francis famously warmed relations between the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ+ community, and Pope Leo XIV has extended the same sentiment, some advocates have expressed dissatisfaction with his views being as conservative as his predecessor. The Pope has also recently said that the “unborn” have “inherent dignity as creations of God,” again following the precedent of the Catholic Church in opposing abortions. Pope Leo XIV may have defied J.D. Vance using the gospel to rationalize antagonistic U.S.-Mexico border policies, however, his more socially conservative views of gender and sexuality may mean he won’t have the same reaction to the administration’s ongoing assault on these civil rights.
Pope Leo XIV isn’t the first pope to speak out directly on American politics – there have been historical clashes between the Catholic Church and the government, although it is rare. In the 1990s, Pope John Paul II publicly admonished Bill Clinton for his pro-choice views on abortion. The late Pope Francis also confronted current President Donald Trump over his child separation policy at the border, the construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall, and climate change.
Under a democracy teetering closer to authoritarianism, we require global leaders who demonstrate concern, disappointment, and outrage at an executive dismantling federal programs providing social safety nets and chipping away at judicial power. The Pope occupies an essential part of the critiques because the Trump administration actively utilizes Christianity to attract a religious voter base and promote his political agenda.
Stanford needs to hear from Pope Leo XIV. Not only do over 70% of students on campus identify as religious, but current tensions between the student body and the administration over responses to Trump’s cuts to federal funding and divesting from the Palestinian genocide speak to the need for advocates. While I might not agree with all of the Pope’s opinions, I still see his papacy as a source of pride and patriotism, something I haven’t been able to feel about our nation for a while. Although the Pope now resides in Vatican City, 5,000 miles away from the United States, he should be reminded that his political commentary on his home country matters deeply. We Americans are intently listening.