From the left and right, US Catholics hope new pope fulfills their hopes

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NEW YORK – News that the planetary Catholic religion would get its first-ever U.S.-born pope was welcomed by Catholics crossed the ideological spectrum successful Pope Leo XIV ’s homeland, raising the question of whether helium mightiness beryllium capable to easiness immoderate of the heavy divisions wrong its ranks.

From U.S. Catholics to the near of the ideological center, determination is optimism that Leo volition transportation connected Pope Francis’ outreach to mediocre and marginalized people, including migrants, and supply a counterweight to policies of the Trump administration that distress them. To the right, determination is anticipation the caller pope volition faithfully uphold Catholic doctrine, including absorption to abortion, same-sex matrimony and women’s ordination.

One crushed for optimism: The caller pope has made wide — successful his remarks and his prime of a motto — that unity wrong the planetary religion volition beryllium a paramount priority.

“In these aboriginal days, he’s inactive an bare vessel,” said Steven Millies, a nationalist theology prof astatine the Catholic Theological Union successful Chicago. “Until we each get to cognize him better, we tin determination our expectations into him.”

Notre Dame Provost John McGreevy, a historiographer of Catholicism, said helium was “completely stunned” aft the papal announcement, having shared the accepted contented that a pope from the U.S. was a near-impossibility.

But Leo “is a planetary Catholic citizen,” McGreevy said, citing the pontiff’s time successful Peru, astatine the Vatican and leading an planetary spiritual order.

“Even though he’s an American, and we’re ace arrogant that he’s American, it’s hard to deliberation of idiosyncratic much embedded successful a batch of the planetary church,” helium said.

What volition Pope Leo's narration with U.S. Catholics be?

It’s excessively soon to archer what Leo’s narration volition beryllium with his chap American prelates and the broader U.S. Catholic Church, McGreevy cautioned.

“The aboriginal indications are that there’ll beryllium immoderate similarities to Pope Francis,” helium said – suggesting that differences with blimpish U.S. bishops could continue.

McGreevy said helium expects immoderate hostility betwixt the Vatican and the White House implicit migration and clime change, 2 of Francis’ cardinal priorities that are apt to beryllium reaffirmed by Leo.

Chad Pecknold, a prof of systematic theology astatine the Catholic University of America, suggested that Francis either disliked oregon misunderstood the United States.

“With Leo XIV, it’s wide helium not lone loves America, but helium adjacent loves the White Sox,” Pecknold said via email. “That tin lone person a bully effect, not lone upon American Catholics, but besides American bishops, and indeed, everyone. It’s bully to consciousness similar the pope is connected your side.”

During the second years of Francis’ papacy, 1 of the astir divisive issues among U.S. bishops was whether Catholic politicians who supported termination rights — including then-President Joe Biden and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — should beryllium barred from receiving Communion.

Francis stressed helium would not cull politicians who enactment termination rights and Biden received Communion during a sojourn to Rome successful 2021.

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, who barred Pelosi from receiving Communion successful the archdiocese, described Leo arsenic a "bridge builder."

"He volition beryllium a bully unit for unity successful the church,” Cordileone told KPIX-TV successful San Francisco. “Even with differences of sentiment and antithetic ideas of strategy and truthful forth, we tin person unity successful the church.”

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican and outspoken termination opponent, took bosom from a homily delivered aboriginal this twelvemonth by Leo erstwhile helium was Cardinal Robert Prevost. The transition cited by Smith: “God’s mercy calls america to support each life, particularly those nine overlooks — the kid yet to beryllium calved and the aged nearing their journey’s extremity — due to the fact that each bears Christ’s face.”

Smith depicted this remark arsenic “underscoring the extortion of the close to beingness arsenic archetypal among the galore humanitarian responsibilities of the Church.”

The interim president of Catholics for Choice, which supports termination rights, acknowledged that Leo opposes termination and said the radical would nonstop him letters from Catholics who disagree with that stance.

“We are praying that helium volition beryllium a pope guided by a committedness to peace, justice, and inclusion,” said Chris Wimbush. “The aboriginal of our religion depends connected greater inclusion and nuance connected reproductive wellness decisions similar abortion, contraception and IVF."

Women and the church

Francis, during his papacy, took large strides to springiness women much elder enactment positions successful the church. But helium upheld the prohibition connected pistillate priests and tamped down hopes that women could beryllium ordained arsenic deacons.

Ellie Hidalgo of Discerning Deacons, which advocates for women deacons successful the church, said she hopes Leo volition enactment the church’s ongoing reappraisal of women’s information successful ministry. A years-long Vatican process near unfastened the contentious question of whether women should beryllium ordained arsenic deacons.

Hidalgo, who lives successful Miami, heard then-Cardinal Prevost talk successful February erstwhile she was successful Rome for a solemnisation of deacons.

“He was asking deacons to beryllium humble successful their service,” Hidalgo said. "I could archer conscionable from gathering him that that’s thing helium truly values himself ... that you are to beryllium of work and you’re determination successful a posture of humility.”

The U.S.-based Women’s Ordination Conference, which advocates for women to beryllium accepted arsenic priests, welcomed the inclusive code of Leo’s archetypal remarks.

“His wide accent connected bridge-building and dialog connection WOC anticipation that Pope Leo XIV mightiness beryllium a person who volition besides physique bridges to Catholic women,” the group’s connection said. It envisioned “a long-overdue time erstwhile women are recognized arsenic equals successful Christ.”

Called connected by Pope Francis

Francis, successful galore ways, saw Robert Prevost arsenic a imaginable successor, assigning him to positions successful Peru that bolstered his planetary resume and aboriginal calling him to the Vatican to oversee the influential bureau that vets bishop nominations.

“Francis was paying adjacent attraction to caller U.S bishops,” said Millies, the nationalist theology professor. “Prevost has been Francis’ antheral overseeing the cautious enactment of a antithetic benignant of bishop to capable important posts successful the U.S.”

Millies said the apical enactment of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — which was sometimes astatine likelihood with Francis — remains comparatively conservative.

But successful the ranks of bishops beneath them, “the alteration has already happened,” Millies said. “They are men who are much pastoral than focused connected doctrine. The predetermination of Leo means we are firmly successful a antithetic era.”

Traditionally, the taboo against a U.S. pope reflected reluctance to springiness the world's No. 1 superpower adjacent much influence. That shouldn't beryllium a interest with Leo, according to Austen Ivereigh, a British-based writer and writer of 2 books connected the Francis papacy.

“If anybody thinks helium (Leo) is going to instrumentality a antithetic enactment from Francis connected migration oregon clime change, they’re successful for a surprise," Ivereigh said. "Francis was putting into signifier religion teaching, and Leo volition bash the same.”

There was muted absorption to Leo's predetermination from Bishop Robert Strickland, who was ousted by Francis successful 2023 from enactment of the Diocese of Tyler successful Texas. Strickland had been a fierce professional of Francis and came to symbolize the polarization wrong the U.S. hierarchy.

In societal media posts aft Leo assumed the papacy, Strickland expressed anticipation that helium would faithfully uphold the ineffable Scriptures and traditions known arsenic the Deposit of Faith.

“With the dense value of the papacy present connected his shoulders helium needs our prayers,” Strickland added.

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Stanley reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Nicole Winfield successful Rome and Peter Smith successful Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

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Associated Press religion sum receives enactment done the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with backing from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely liable for this content.

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