In a historic shift for the Catholic Church, the College of Cardinals has elected the first American pope — a development likely to reverberate from the halls of the Vatican to the streets of Chicago. Cardinal Robert Prevost, an Augustinian priest from Illinois, will be known as Pope Leo XIV after his succession of Pope Francis.
Although the world tries to place him into an ideological group, the pope’s job should be to unite, not divide. Instead of politicizing this decision, the election of the first American pope should be celebrated.
A majority of the Pope’s career has been spent outside of the U.S. He studied in Rome and then arrived in Peru in 1985, where he worked as a missionary and became the bishop of Chiclayo in Northern Peru. Pope Francis elected him as a cardinal in 2023.
Appearing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, the new pontiff greeted the crowd in St. Peter’s Square with a calm but powerful blessing: “Peace be with all of you.” While his message encouraged unity, Pope Leo XIV’s rise comes at a time when the Church and the world are deeply divided — and his past, particularly his political footprint in the U.S., is already drawing scrutiny.
Prevost is registered to vote in Chicago, and public records reviewed by CBS News confirm that he has cast ballots in multiple elections over the years.
He voted in the 2024 general election and the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 cycles. He also participated in the Republican presidential primaries in 2016 and 2012 and the Democratic primaries in 2008 and 2010.
His X account reflects years of active political engagement, including reposts critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. He also shared an article titled, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others” — a rebuke of Vance’s claim that Christians can prioritize love first for family, then neighbors, community, fellow citizens and the world.
While his social media presence may present obstacles in uniting people who disagree with his politics, the unification of people should depend on shared faith, not party lines. It is probable that many will realize his views, while occasionally polarizing online, are not rooted in allegiance to any political faction — but rather in doctrine, conscience and a deep commitment to Catholic teaching.
The pope is not a politician and not meant to be a spokesperson for left or right ideologies. Still, some may attempt to place him in a camp that affirms their beliefs.
But that is not — and has never been — the pope’s purpose. He is called not to reinforce partisan worldviews, but to lead a global church, to challenge, to comfort and to call people higher.
Because of his dedication to the people of Peru and the Vatican, the decision to elect Prevost will likely prove to be a good one. His American upbringing and service in Peru gives him a unique insight into the world no pontiff has ever had before.
Similar to Pope Francis’ upbringing in Argentina as the first Latin American pope, Pope Leo XIV could provide knowledge molded by North and South America — a blend of cultural awareness that reflects the increasingly global nature of the Church in the 21st century.
His active use of social media only deepens that accessibility. While past popes have maintained a digital presence through official Vatican accounts, Pope Leo XIV has engaged in online discourse himself. This kind of engagement makes him more approachable to younger generations and those who feel distant from the Church’s hierarchy. In a time when institutional trust is low and many Catholics feel disillusioned, having a pope who understands the tone, immediacy and reach of digital communication could help rebuild that bridge.
Whether his digital fluency and cross-cultural roots will unify the Church remains to be seen — if nothing else, Pope Leo XIV steps into history with a voice uniquely his own, and the world will be watching for years to come.
