Why An American Pope Matters

As Pope Leo enters the first full year of his pontificate, he will face many new challenges

Historian Arthur Schlesinger Sr. famously said anti-Catholicism was “the deepest bias in the history of the American people.” Just a century and a half ago, Catholics were often persecuted or looked down upon in the United States. But today, an American is the Pope. Pope Leo XIV’s leadership presents a number of interesting questions and possibilities for the future of the Church.

Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. He was involved in the Church from a young age through his parents’ participation in their parish. He attended a minor seminary for high school and eventually enrolled at Villanova University, an Augustinian College. He joined the Augustinian order and was ordained in 1982. He would go on to work at the Augustinian Mission in Peru, becoming a bishop in 2014. Finally, he was appointed a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023.

Pope Leo is only the second non-European pope since 741 AD, but non-European popes may become a pattern for the future, as Christianity has declined in much of Europe. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas, the number of Catholics has largely stayed the same or grown. These trends paint a clear picture that the center of Catholicism, and all of Christianity, is moving away from its historic center in Europe.

There will, no doubt, always be Catholics in Europe, especially in Italy, but as more priests are sourced from outside Europe, candidates for the papacy will become increasingly geographically diverse. It is not out of the question to say that future popes will likely come from Asia or Africa as the global reach of Catholicism shifts to these regions.

Before the election of John F. Kennedy in 1960, there were fears that he, as a Catholic, would be influenced by his loyalty to the Vatican. By the time Joe Biden ran for president in 2020, his faith was of little concern to voters. However, Vice President JD Vance’s faith has already led some in the media to label him a “Christian nationalist,” and attacks will only increase as his presumptive presidential campaign takes shape.

Pope Leo and Vance already have a complex relationship. Before his election to the papacy, Pope Leo tweeted an essay titled “JD Vance is Wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” Vance and Pope Leo had a cordial meeting in May, and while they are likely to disagree on issues such as immigration, close ties between Washington and the Vatican remain possible. Still, some right-wing influencers have been openly skeptical of Pope Leo’s leadership, and ideological conflicts between MAGA and Pope Leo could occur in the coming years.

Pope Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, was praised across many different religious and cultural groups for his work and earned admiration from people of all walks of life. Pope Leo could very well do the same and help improve the Catholic Church’s image in the United States. He can provide a different example of American Christian values than the one that is being shown by the mainstream media.

In the rest of the world, many suspicious of Americans may see the election of Pope Leo as another example of Americans having an outsized influence in global institutions. Americans have long held significant power through global institutions such as the U.N., the World Bank, NATO, and the IMF. Many may see Pope Leo as simply another American who is openly trying to do good and make the world a better place, but in a way that cements American soft power.

The Catholic Church is the world’s oldest and most important institution. Pope Leo’s American identity is one of his great strengths and great weaknesses. As he enters the first full year of his pontificate and begins the grueling task of leadership, we must pray for the Holy Father.