Pope Leo XIV has held his new post as head of the Catholic Church for less than 24 hours but he has shared many of his thoughts on key issues already – especially through social media
The world was stunned last night when white smoke blew from the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican revealed US-born Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV. The new Pope – who was also known as Father Bob – is said to be a moderate who could unite the clashing progressive and conservative wings of the Catholic Church.
Pope Leo XIV was made an archbishop in 2023 by the late Pope Francis and then promoted to a cardinal in 2024, sharing many of his own views with Francis. Despite some similarities, Pope Leo has started to carve his own identity as the new Bishop of Rome, having previously share strong thoughts on key issues.
The new Pope’s taken name is loaded with key clues as to how his rule over the 2,000-year-old church will look and compare to Pope Francis’. The last Pope Leo was a reformer known for addressing workers’ rights during the industrial age, perhaps suggesting the new leader will rule with a similar progressive mindset.
Immigration
Chicago-born Pope Leo has been open about his own family’s immigration story as his mother is Italian and father is French. He appears to strongly align with Francis’ focus on migrant rights particularly because of the 20 years Leo lived in Peru, even being a naturalised Peruvian citizen. The new Pope has taken to social media to criticise modern anti-immigration policies, especially those pushed by the new US government.
On Donald Trump and JD Vance
Pope Leo has been no stranger to slamming the Trump administration especially on immigration and deportations. Before becoming the head of the Catholic Church, Leo made his thoughts on Trump and Vance vocal, including promoting and endorsing Pope Francis’ letter to American Bishops, on X, to encourage them to support illegal immigrants being targeted in raids.
Leo shared the letter and wrote it was “what the Gospel asks of all of us on immigration”. His latest repost was also a critique of the US government’s immigration crackdowns, written by Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo, which said: “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”
Leo directly criticised Catholic convert Vance again when the Vice President told Fox News: “We should love our family first, then our neighbors, then love our community, then our country, and only then consider the interests of the rest of the world.”
The new Pope hit back and furiously wrote: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank out love for others.”
LGBTQ+ rights
Pope Leo has been seen as less progressive than Pope Francis on LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion in the Catholic Church. The new leader opposed a plan to include gender teaching in schools while he was a bishop in Peru, according to The New York Times.
At the time, he said: “The promotion of gender ideology is confusing, because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist.” He also criticised the media and popular culture for encouraging “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel”.
He said those “practices” were “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children”. It is however unclear if Pope Leo still holds these views of if they have changed, especially since Francis’ tenure.
Abortion
In the past, Leo has used his social media platform to express his support for the Catholic Church’s strong stance against abortion. In 2015, he posted a photo from a pro-life rally in Chiclayo, Peru, and said: “Let’s defend human life at all times!”
Climate change
Leo has been a strong and vocal supporter of combating climate change, saying people had a responsibility to look after the planet. In November 2024, he argued it was time to move “from words to action” on the “environmental crisis”.
Racism
The US-born Pope was vocal in 2020 when the Black Lives Matter protests started across the country, after the brutal killing of George Floyd. In a tweet, he said: “We need to hear more from leaders in the Church, to reject racism and seek justice.”