Senator Lindsey Graham must be the saddest Reek in the world today. He posted and prayed that his master, Donald Trump, would be chosen by the papal conclave to be the next Pope.
Unfortunately for MAGA, it seems God had better plans.
The white smoke from the Vatican signaled the arrival of the first American to be elected Pope and serve as the spiritual figurehead of nearly 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. Robert Prevost, a 69-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Peru, took the name of Leo XIV and welcomed thousands who assembled in St. Peter’s Square with the Catholic version of Assalamu Alaikum: “Peace be with you all.”
“He’s right out of Pope Francis’s playbook,” said Kathlee Sprows Cummings, a professor at the University of Notre Dame. “He ticks off all the boxes of a future pope: a pastoral heart, managerial experience, and vision.”
That description should be comforting to most people of faith, but will undoubtedly trigger MAGA and right-wing movements across the world who criticized Pope Francis for being “too woke.” His concern for immigrants, the poor, the marginalized, and Palestinians attempting to survive Israel’s genocide was a bit much for those who consider themselves to be a “faith and family values” party. Anti-Muslim bigot and Trump whisperer Laura Loomer has already castigated the new pope as being “anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis.” She added it was “GROSS” that he was chosen to be the leader of the Catholic Church. However, a criminal, vulgarian rapist as the President of the United States is perfectly acceptable for Loomer and MAGA.
Alas.
They’ll be further triggered to learn that the new Pope Leo XIV echoed Pope Francis in condemning JD Vance’s cruel misinterpretation of “odoro amoris.” An account associated with him tweeted, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
I’m curious if electing the first American Pope isn’t a direct response of the Vatican to a global rise in fascism and Donald Trump’s recent mockery of Catholics. MAGA and Trump shared an AI image of Trump as the new Pope. At first, Trump admitted it was a joke and alleged “The Catholics” found it funny. In the next breath, he said it was “fake news.” Meanwhile, Catholic Bishops of New York State said, “There is nothing clever or funny about this image. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis, and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”
Well, they emerged earlier today and elected Robert Prevost, the first American Pope, who has championed the poor, migrants, and the marginalized. Still, it’s too early to see if the new Pope will use his powerful and privileged station to champion a ceasefire in Gaza, ask the world to intervene and help Palestinians, reject Trump’s cruelty toward immigrants, acknowledge and address the Church’s sins in covering up horrific sex abuse scandals.
In this Chai Talk, my America Unhinged co-host Francesca Fiorentini joins me to discuss the new Pope and our hope that he follows in the footsteps of Pope Francis and stands up for immigrants, the marginalized, and Palestinians.
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