The Chicago-born pontiff has not held back on social media as he shared with his followers his disapproval at much of Trump’s policies
Pope Leo is set to be officially sworn in, making history in the process in becoming the first ever American pontiff.
Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was welcomed into his new post on May 8, opting to go by the name Pope Leo XIV, and now 10 days later his inauguration to become the 267th pope is taking place.
Much like his predecessor Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 last month, Pope Leo hasn’t shied away from politics.
In his first Sunday noon (May 11) blessing as pontiff, from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, he declared to the masses below him: “Never again war.”
He called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, as well as an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid, while welcoming the ceasefire agreement reached between India and Pakistan.
Pope Leo’s sweet gesture
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But that’s politics on the global stage. Domestically, the 69-year-old has been vocal in the past on President Donald Trump’s policies – both in his first term and now in his second.
Trump policy ‘not Christian’
In 2018, Pope Leo retweeted a thread from Cardinal Blase Cupich, who has served as Archbishop of Chicago for more than a decade, which criticized the Trump administration’s policies.
“There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all,” the first post of the thread read.
‘Anti-immigrant’
Three years earlier, in 2015, Cardinal Timothy Dolan – who has served as Archbishop of New York since 2009, wrote an article for The Washington Post, titled ‘Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is so problematic’.
Pope Leo shared the article with his followers.
Pope Leo has been vocal on Twitter about the Trump administration, both in the president’s first and second term (Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Mass deportations
Most recently, he reposted a tweet from Philadelphia-based Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo, which read: “As Trump & Bukele use Oval to Feds’ illicit deportation of a US resident, once an undoc-ed Salvadorean himself, now-DC Aux +Evelio asks, ‘Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?'”
‘Abandoning American values’
In 2017, Palmo also shared a screenshot of an article written by Cardinal Cupich. Palmo captioned his tweet: “Calling refugee bans ‘a dark hour of US history,’ Card Blase says ‘the world is watching as we abandon our commitment to American values’.
Again, Pope Leo retweeted the post.
US becoming ‘immoral’
In the same year, 2017, Jesuit priest James Martin took to Twitter to share a picture of a young Syrian child covered in blood and dirt, with the caption: “We’re banning all Syrian refugees? The men, women and children who *most* need help? What an immoral nation we are becoming. Jesus weeps.”
The new pontiff retweeted the post.
Pope Leo seemingly disagrees with much of President Donald Trump’s policies (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Trump line fuels ‘racism’
Then again in 2017, Pope Leo quote tweeted a post from Palmo, with the pontiff writing: “Saying Trump’s ‘bad hombres’ line fuels ‘racism and nativism,’ Cali bishops send preemptive blast on DACA repeal.”
‘JD Vance is wrong’
The newly elected pope has also hit out at Trump’s vice president JD Vance, resharing an op-ed from the National Catholic Reporter titled: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
The article came after comments Vance made to Fox News in February earlier this year, Vance saying: “There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world.
“A lot of the far left has completely inverted that.”
Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, pictured at Pope Leo’s inauguration (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump’s comments on Pope Leo
The resurfaced comments follow shortly after Trump took to Truth Social to react to the announcement of the newly appointed pope.
In a post to Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope.
“What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country.
“I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
While speaking to Fox News reporter Sean Hannity while onboard Air Force One, he was asked: “We have our first American pope – he does seem to disagree with you on immigration… would you like to talk to him about that?”
Trump answered: “Sure. I would. He was really a surprise choice.”Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/ALBERTO PIZZOLI
Topics: Catholic Church, Donald Trump, Politics, Religion, World News, Pope Leo
Updated 12:36 7 May 2025 GMT+1Published 12:34 7 May 2025 GMT+1
Process of secretive conclave explained as voting to decide Pope Francis’ successor begins
The process of picking Pope Francis’ successor has begun
The secretive process of the conclave is a complicated one but voting to pick Pope Francis’ successor officially begins in the Vatican today (May 7).
Pope Francis, whose real name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, had experienced ill health in the months leading up to his passing at the age of 88 last month.
The Holy Father at the head of the Roman Catholic Church was rushed to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital back in February after suffering a respiratory infection, chronic bronchitis, which developed into pneumonia in both lungs, and a mild kidney failure.
The Vatican confirmed his passing in an emotional statement released on April 21.
The process of conclave
The papal conclave, the method in which the next pope will be chosen, officially begins on today with a mass in St Peter’s Basilica.
Pope Francis died aged 88 last month (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
Later on this afternoon, 133 cardinal electors will stroll over to Sistine Chapel while chanting the litany of the saints.
The electors will then stand before Michelangelo’s vision of heaven and hell by swearing to carry out the solemn duty of selecting a new pope.
The cardinals will take up a vow of secrecy before they begin discussing and ultimately voting on who they want to be the next leader of the Catholic Church.
There are 133 cardinals in total, including 17 from Italy, while cardinals elsewhere in Europe are from nations such as Spain, France, the Netherlands and Hungary.
Asia and the Middle East have 23 representatives, and North America and South and Central America have 16 and 21 respectively.
Meanwhile, four cardinals originate from Oceania – one from each of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.
Who are the favorites and when will a new pope be announced
The race to become the next pope and the leader of the Catholic Church is very much open, though Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Luis Antonio Tagle, a Filipino Cardinal, are said to be amongst the frontrunners.
Theoretically, a new pope could be announced as early as today, but that is deemed as unlikely.
Italy’s Pietro Parolin is one of the favorites for the job (Getty Images / Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket)
See, the cardinals are likely to spend days debating who would be best fit for the role of pope, so the event in which a new leader of the Catholic Church is announced today probably won’t happen.
If no winner is found in the coming hours, the Vatican said black smoke would be seen plummeting out of the Sistine Chapel chimney later this evening.
And on the off chance a new pope is elected, then white smoke would be released.Featured Image Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty
Topics: Pope Francis, Catholic Church, Religion, World News
Published 14:18 8 May 2025 GMT+1
Priest at the Conclave to choose new Pope has a very famous sibling that you’d recognise straight away
The New York-born cardinal’s sibling appeared in Goodfellas and The Sopranos
A cardinal casting his vote in the largest ever conclave for the next Catholic pope has an extremely famous brother, who is best known for his roles in gangster movies The Sopranos and Goodfellas.
Black smoke emanated from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney this morning (May 8), indicating that the conclave following the death of Pope Francis was unable to elect a new pope in the official third voting round.
Among the 133 voting cardinals sequestered inside the Vatican are the likes of: Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, the first Ghanaian to be made a cardinal under Pope John Paul II in 2003; Vincent Nichols, the former Archbishop of Birmingham and current president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and Timothy Dolan, an American Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of New York since 2009.
Another cardinal taking part in the May 2025 conclave is Robert Alan Sirico, a US-based priest and founder of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Priest Robert Sirico on Pope Francis’ death
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Born in 1951 in New York, the Catholic Church representative was originally raised in a religious setting, but temporarily left faith behind in his early teenage years.
However, after a deeper study of Christian anthropology, Sirico returned to the Catholic Church in 1977 and was ordained as a Paulist priest 12 years later.
The devout follower of Christ, whose writings have appeared in revered publications such as The Wall Street Journal, the Journal of Markets & Morality and The New York Times, was inducted into the Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) in 1990.
Former members of the international academic society of economists, political philosophers, and other intellectuals include Nobel laureates like Friedrich Hayek and notable figures like Ludwig Erhard and Luigi Einaudi.
As well as serving on the board of advisers for Instituto Fe y Libertad, in Guatemala, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow and the Ciciv Institute in Prague, Sirico also has a very famous sibling, who died in 2022.
The cardinal is one of the 133 voting in the 2025 conclave (The Acton Institute)
This former star, whose acting credits include The Sopranos, Goodfellas and various Woody Allen movies, is none other than Genaro Anthony ‘Tony’ Sirico Jr.
The legendary actor, who was born in 1942, made his film debut as an extra in the 1974 flick Crazy Joe, before playing gangsters in the likes of Mighty Aphrodite, The Last Fight, Bullets over Broadway and Mickey Blue Eyes.
Speaking about Tony’s death in 2022, the clergyman said: “It is with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories, that the family of Gennaro Anthony ‘Tony’ Sirico wishes to inform you of his death on the morning of July 8, 2022.
“I sensed that the end was coming. So as we sat in a private location, I pulled out a Confessional Stole from my pocket. I looked into his eyes and I said, ‘How about that confession?’
Anthony ‘Tony’ Sirico is best known for his role in gangster films and TV shows (HBO)
‘My brother agreed and I did one of the most significant things a priest can do for another human being. I absolved him of all of his sins.”
The conclave to elect the 267th Pope is expected to continue through this afternoon, with the next vote set to begin at 4pm local time (10 am ET).
It’s not known at this stage whether the event will extend to Friday (May 9), as two-thirds of the conclave must pick the same name before the voting can conclude.
The previous two conclaves famously wrapped up in less than three days, resulting in the elections of pope John Paul II in 1978, pope Benedict XVI in 2005, and pope Francis in 2013.
Cardinal Parolin, who is presiding over the papal conclave, is also the current frontrunner in the contest to become the next pope, Sky News writes.Featured Image Credit: Sky News
Topics: Catholic Church, Pope Francis, Religion, Celebrity, Film and TV
Updated 12:45 15 May 2025 GMT+1Published 12:46 15 May 2025 GMT+1
People lose it as newly elected Pope Leo tweets for the first time with very direct message
Pope Leo XIV has a strong message for the world
Pope Leo XIV has taken to Twitter to share a series of seven tweets addressing the Holy Church’s stance on the current conflicts taking place across the globe.
For some reason, a religious figure taking to Twitter just seems wrong. But when Pope Leo does it? Well, it’s just oh so right.
On May 8, Pope Francis‘ successor was officially announced, with the role of head of the Catholic Church going to 69-year-old Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost – whose papal name is Pope Leo XIV.
Since taking on the role, Pope Leo has already seemingly shaded Donald Trump, according to some social media users.
Not only has the new pope previously snubbed US president Donald Trump’s administration on Twitter, but he’s now taken to the social media platform on a new page for his new title to share some words.
Pope Leo after being elected the new pope
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Taking to Twitter on May 14, Pope Leo’s account wrote: “Peace be with you all! This is the first greeting spoken by the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd. I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, and among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world.”
And Pope Leo certainly didn’t just stop there – going on to quote the Pope not before but twice before him.
Pope Leo quoted his third predecessor as talking about the ‘preservation of the Eastern rites is more important than is realized’.
Adding to this, the current pope urged the world to ’embrace the appeal to safeguard and promote the Christian East, especially in the diaspora’.
Throw out the paper and pass Pope Leo a phone (y Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
“The ancient, yet ever new spiritualities of the Christian East offer a healing balm. They merge an awareness of human misery with awe for divine mercy, so that our lowliness never leads to despair but invites us to welcome grace,” he added.
Reflecting on the ‘violence’ and ‘wars’ in the world, Pope Leo argued this ‘horror’ ‘should provoke outrage’ given how many ‘die in the name of military conquest’ and it’s important, through it all, to remember the ‘call of Christ’: “Peace be with you.”
However, Pope Leo noted ‘Christ’s peace is not the silence of the tomb after a conflict, and it is not the result of subjugation’.
Pope Leo sent a strong message (Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Image)
He reflected on peace as being ‘a gift’ that helps people ‘renew’ their lives, found in the form of ‘reconciliation, forgiveness and courage’, a peace which we should all ‘pray for’.
With ongoing conflict taking place across the globe from Ukraine to Sudan, Gaza and Syria, Pope Leo noted the Holy See is readily available to step in and try and help negotiations in whatever way it can.
His final tweet of the series resolved: “War is never inevitable. Weapons can and must fall silent, for they never solve problems but only intensify them. Those who sow peace will endure throughout history, not those who reap victims. Others are not enemies to hate but human beings with whom to speak.”
The head of the Catholic Church has elicited quite a strong response on social media, amassing 18.5 million followers in just a few days since he created his Twitter account.
His first series of tweets have received an outpouring of responses online, with thousands flocking to the posts to comment, and one user noting: “Your message of peace is important, now more than ever.”Featured Image Credit: TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Pope Leo, Religion, World News, Twitter, Social Media
Updated 15:42 21 Apr 2025 GMT+1Published 15:18 21 Apr 2025 GMT+1
All the cardinals in line to be the next Pope following Pope Francis’ death aged 88
The process is expected to take several weeks…
Heading up the Catholic Church which has billions of followers is certainly no easy feat and there are several cardinals who are anticipated as being able to take over as Pope Francis’ successor.
Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 years old, confirmed by the Vatican earlier today (April 21).
In a statement, Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced with ‘deep sorrow’ the passing of ‘our Holy Father Francis’.
“At 7.35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,” he continued.
He said: “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalised.
Pope Francis’ final public address
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“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite, merciful love of God, One and Tribune.”
The period of mourning has commenced, however, so has murmurs as to who will take the baton as the leader of the Catholic Church.
How a new pope is selected
The next pope will be elected by a group of senior Catholic clergy called the College of Cardinals.
The group come together in something called a papal conclave, where the clergy vote up to four times a day in a secret ballot in the Sistine Chapel.
There are over 240 cardinals across the globe and the number of papal electors is typically capped at 120. Cardinals are also only allowed to vote if under the age of 80 – the title typically held for their lifetime.
However, Al Jazeera reports there are currently 138 eligible voters.
Pope Francis’ death was announced today (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
A candidate has to receive a majority of the vote measuring two-thirds to become the new pope.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website notes the process typically lasts from around 15 to 20 days, as quoted by The Independent.
But who is expected to be in the running for the lead role of the Catholic Church – which has a staggering up to 1.39 billion followers?
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
An American prelate of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Burke is both a bishop and cardinal.
A traditionalist and conservative leader, Burke has publicly clashed with Pope Francis over the subject of Catholics divorcing and re-marrying, alongside the church’s approach to members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Pope Francis supported the church’s changing attitudes towards gay people and becoming more accepting however, Burke strongly opposes such movements.
Cardinal Peter Erdö
Cardinal Peter Erdö (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
The Hungarian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Erdö is considered the leading conservative candidate.
A traditionalist, he has stressed the need to unite with Orthodox Christians and focus on faith.
He has served as the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and Primate of Hungary since 2003.
“His emphasis on unity and his role as a bridge between East and West have solidified his standing as a significant Church leader,” The College of Cardinals report states.
Cardinal Jose Tolentino de Mendonça
Cardinal Jose Tolentino de Mendonça (Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
A Portuguese prelate, Cardinal Mendonça has been an archbishop since July 2018 and was made a cardinal in October 2019.
He’s been a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic since 2020 and was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Institute for Christian Archaeology in September 2022
One of the youngest members of the College of Cardinals at 59, he is also a university professor and a poet.
He is considered as being very much a part of the ‘progressive’ wing of the church – aligned with Pope Francis.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Cardinal Pietro Parolin (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
The Holy See’s Secretary of State, Italy’s Cardinal Parolin was a close ally to Pope Francis.
He’s served in the position of the Vatican’s Secretary of State since 2013 and ‘sensed a call to the priesthood at a very early age and entered the seminary in Vicenza when he was fourteen,’ The College of Cardinals report states.
Prior to that, he worked in the country’s diplomatic service, traveling to areas such as Nigeria, Mexico and Venezuela to spread the Pope’s messages.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
The Italian prelate has served as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since November 2020.
He was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023 and has a ‘number of similarities’ to the late Pope, The College of Cardinals Report states.
He holds ‘a disdain for clericalism and a concern for migrants, interreligious dialogue and, to some extent, the environment’ alongside believing the Church should be open to everyone, however, he notes the ‘starting point has to be faith’.
Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero
Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero (Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco, the Spanish prelate has served in the position since March 2018.
He was raised to the rank of cardinal in October 2019.
Cardinal Romerto has dedicated a lot of his work to advocating for the wellbeing of migrants.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
A Filipino prelate of the church, Cardinal Tagle was the former archbishop of Manila from 2011 to 2020.
He’s been serving as Pro-Prefect for the Section of First Evangelization of the Dicastery for Evangelization since June 2022 and as the President of Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious since December 2019.
Similarly to Francis, he is seen as a member of the progressive wing of the church.
“Tagle often uses the pulpit to respond to issues of social justice, but his positions on moral matters appear somewhat incoherent. On the one hand, he railed against a Filipino “Reproductive Health” bill, albeit less strongly than some of his fellow bishops, that introduced anti-family and antilife policies, and he has spoken strongly against abortion and euthanasia,” The College of Cardinals report reads.
“On the other hand, he holds that some situations exist where universal moral principles do not apply, as in the case of Communion for couples who live together conjugally but without sacramental marriage, and issues relating to homosexuality.”
And last but not least…
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images)
Archbishop of Bologna since December 2015, he was raised to the rank of cardinal in 2019 and has been president of the Episcopal Conference of Italy since May 2022.
Cardinal Zuppi helped end the civil war in Mozambique in 1992 and was sent to Kyiv and Moscow by Pope Francis in a bid to try and provide help amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The papal conclave typically gets going around two to three weeks after the last pope has resigned or passed to allow for a period of morning and for cardinals to travel to the Vatican too.Featured Image Credit: TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Pope Francis, Religion, World News, Catholic Church
