When Robert Prevost — a Chicago-born cardinal, White Sox fan, and canon law expert — was announced as Pope Leo XIV, Americans erupted with patriotic pride. Social media lit up with playful memes of Leo eating deep-dish pizza at the Vatican and trading in the Pope mobile for a Ford pickup. At a Chicago baseball game, fans held signs and even dressed like the new pope. America, it seemed, had claimed the papacy.
But beneath the cheers, deeper tensions brew. The U.S. Catholic Church is not the unified body it once was. And Pope Leo’s American identity may not be enough to heal the fractures that have split the flock for years.
A Church Didided
Immigration., LGBTQ rights, Climate change and Women in leadership aren’t just political flashpoints — they’re battlegrounds within the American church. As conservative voices grow louder, progressive ones grow wary.
Under Pope Francis, progressive reforms found favor globally, but not always in the U.S., where his approval dropped from 90% in 2015 to 75% in 2024. Pope Leo, expected to continue Francis’ people-first approach, may find himself caught in the same cultural crossfire.
Catholic strategist and Boston College professor Cathleen Kaveny believes Leo is a “builder of institutions,” poised to solidify Francis’ vision. But that may not sit well with traditionalists. “He will institutionalize Pope Francis’ vision — or at least aspects of it,” she says.
Politics in the Pew
In the U.S., religion and politics walk hand in hand. Catholic voters swung toward Donald Trump in 2024, and some on the right have already raised eyebrows at Leo’s past social media posts criticizing Republican immigration policies. Steve Bannon called him “virulently anti-Trump,” citing his ties to Latin American liberation theology.
And yet, even Trump welcomed the appointment — albeit through an AI-generated image of himself as pope shared by the White House (which he claimed no part in).
With Catholicism holding steady at 20% of the U.S. population, the political clout remains significant. But church attendance is declining, finances are tightening, and sexual abuse scandals continue to haunt dioceses. Many churches, especially in cities like Chicago, are closing or falling into disrepair.
An American Pope, A Global Challenge
While Leo’s nationality may win him cultural cachet at home, his real challenge is spiritual and structural. The Vatican is facing a nearly $100 million budget shortfall. Internally, he must unify a church struggling to modernize while balancing centuries of tradition.
David Gibson of Fordham University put it bluntly: “The conservatives have no place to go. Leo could be here for 15 or 20 years. This is the church now.”
Nancy Pineda-Madrid, a theology professor, sees a silver lining. “Leo has a rare chance to be both a unifying figure and a stretch for the American Catholic imagination,” she said.
