The new Pope Leo XIV is an American by birth, but he’s not like us at all | Opinion
As a cradle Catholic from California, I never thought I would see an American pope. But there he is, Pope Leo XIV from Chicago. He’s an American who speaks multiple languages. He served for many years in Peru and is a dual Peruvian-American citizen.
Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, is the 267th successor to St. Peter and the first-ever American pontiff who arrives on the global stage at a momentous time. This man of God offers the world and his birth nation in particular an alternative vision of leadership to the one presented daily by the current occupant of the Oval Office.
Our new American pope offers his hand in friendship to other world leaders. Earlier this year, he used his X account to stand up for immigrants, and for compassion and love for all people. The new pope shouted out to his brothers and sisters in Peru, where he served people for many years, and did so in Spanish. That’s a heartening alternative to ugly social media images of Americans menacing Spanish speakers on our streets.
Our new American pope is 69 and has dedicated his life to serving the poor. On social media, he shared a post that offered this idea: “The love Jesus speaks of is not about calculation or a choice between our families or neighbors. It is not a finite resource to ration out, but a river that flows, wild and without restraint.”
Yes, the president must serve national interests while a pope serves the spiritual interests of those who believe. But as he spoke to the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, it struck me how un-American he sounded.
In this case, the phrase un-American is not meant in a negative connotation: It’s a compliment.
On the national stage, just as in my home state of California, our country’s leaders struggle to communicate without trolling someone or something. Too often, we can be a bipartisan nation of trolls, critics, cynics and blowhards.
Just this week in Sacramento, where I live, what should have been a serious discussion about legislation to protect minors from sex trafficking instead became a platform for leaders to cede the high ground — to accuse certain people of supporting pedophiles because they disagreed on issues of substance.
And not to pick on California Gov. Gavin Newsom, but when he said that all solicitation of minors should be charged as felonies, he was contradicting the substance of the bill in question and reaching for the most extreme punishment that may or may not be applicable in all cases.
But it’s very American to confront issues with the strongest language possible because American leaders are supposed to be strong and tough. Media influencers, pundits and podcasters rise by being provocative and polarizing. They gain followers by being divisive. There is currency in being unifying as long as it means unifying against the presence of other people.
Maybe the new American pope offers a different example of leading on the world stage because he’s lived much of his life outside the United States.
He doesn’t seem weighed down by the American vices of bravado and boastfulness. He doesn’t define people as winners and losers. He’s used his social media platform to support the ideas of shared humanity.
This American pope seems most impressed with the common man, rather than the billionaire, the influencer, the celebrity or even just the loudest voice in the room.
Beyond his Catholic flock, maybe this American pope can remind all Americans, whether faithful or agnostic, that Americans can be strong and compassionate. They can want our borders respected without demonizing all the migrants who seek to cross them. They can disagree without dehumanizing. They can communicate without demeaning.
The new American pope promises to be a force in the world for good. Perhaps all Americans can follow his example.
This story was originally published May 8, 2025 at 1:32 PM.
