Maga criticizes the first American pope as not “America first”

Catholicism has rarely been more important in American policy while the Trump administration openly embraces its advisers and officials who proudly say that faith has shaped their policy.

But any jubilation on the American Make America Great again on the new Pope this week quickly dissipated while the key voices of the Maga movement of Donald Trump came to a disappointed conclusion: the first American pope does not seem to be “America first”.

We know little about the political trends of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago. He expressed concerns for the poor and immigrants, has chosen a name that could refer to more liberal church leadership, and he seems to have both supported Pope Francis Liberal and criticized the American president on social networks.

But the president so far only said that the election of Leo was a “great honor” for the United States. However, some of Trump’s most eminent supporters quickly attacked Pope Leo, castigating him as a possible challenge to Trump and on the perception he will follow the Pope Francis in fields such as immigration.

“I mean it’s a bit breathtaking,” the former Trump chief strategist said on Friday, Steve Bannon, by phone, speaking of the election of Leo.

“It is shocking for me that a guy can be selected to be the pope who had the Twitter thread and the statements he had against American senior politicians,” said Bannon, a Loyalist of Trump, practicing, practicing Catholic and former warning.

And he predicted that there will be “certainly frictions”, between Leo and Trump.

Pope’s brother John Prevost told the New York Times that he thought his brother would express his disagreements with the president.

“I know that he is not satisfied with what’s going on with immigration,” he said. “I know that for a fact. How far he will go with it, it is only his supposition, but he will not be content to sit. I do not think he will be the silencer.”

Recent survey data shows that around 20% of Americans identify as Catholics, according to the non -partisan Pew Research Center.

About 53% identify or lean towards the Republican Party, although there are also many nuances: the two American Catholic presidents, John F Kennedy and Joe Biden, were both Democrats. And almost two thirds of American Catholics believe that abortion should be legal in all or most – a gap in the current position of the Church.

American Catholics have also largely supported Pope Francis: 78% of those questioned in February considered it favorably, including the majority of Catholic Republicans.

A number of Catholics in the hometown of the Pope of Chicago broadcast President Trump on Thursday and said they hoped that Pope Leo XIV would follow his predecessor.

“We hope he will continue with Francis’ agenda in the future,” said Rick Stevens, a Catholic deacon from New Jersey who was visiting Chicago when he learned the news.

The American Conference of Catholic Bishops, which leads and coordinates American Catholic activities, celebrated the election of Pope Leo and the message he sends.

“Admittedly, we are delighted that a son of this nation was chosen by the cardinals, but we recognize that it is now up to all Catholics and all people of good will,” the conference said in a statement. “His words recommend peace, unity and missionary activity already indicate a way to follow.”

Although Maga’s supporters represent a small subset of American Catholics, it is that of disproportionate access to the conservative media and in Trump’s ear.

On the Podcast of Bannon’s War Room – known for its right and pro -Trump fold – one guest after the other has criticized the new pope.

“This guy was massively adopted by liberals and progressives,” said Ben Harnwell, a journalist who directed Bannon’s efforts to establish what he calls a “gladiator school” for “the Judeo-Christian West” outside Rome.

“He is one of their own … He has (Pope) Francis’s DNA in him,” said Harnwell.

Jack Posobiec, another Maga commentator, component of Rome, was frank: “This choice of the American cardinal was made in response, as a message to President Trump.”

The complete image of what led to the selection of Pope Leo on Thursday is still in emergence and the decisions of the Church do not fully map American politics. However, observers around the world have traveled through Pope Leo’s social media profiles looking for clues to his trends and beliefs.

An X account under his name, with tweets going as far as 2015, shares links with the criticism of Trump’s approach to immigration and advice in other political opinions, such as sensitive control of firearms.

In February, the account has strongly reprimanded the American vice-president by publishing a link to an opinion article entitled “JD Vance is false: Jesus does not ask us to classify our love for others”.

The account also published a link to a letter from Pope Francis, after facing Vance on the doctrine and immigration of the Church. VANCE – A Catholic convert – had given an interview to defend the immigration policies of the Trump administration.

Vance systematically invoked his faith in the defense of the administration, in particular immigration policies, which, according to the White House, said “America the first”.

“There is a Christian concept that you like your family, then you like your neighbor, then you love your community, then you love your fellow citizens, then after that, prioritize the rest of the world. Much part of the far left has completely reversed,” Vance in Fox News.

But the American Democrats were not spared either, which has more than a decade of positions. They seem to support Catholic employers who refuse to pay for contraceptives via employee health plans and, following the 2016 American presidential election, a position linked to an article accusing Democrat Hillary Clinton of having ignored pro-life Catholic voters.

The BBC asked the Vatican to confirm that the account was that of Leo, but did not receive an answer.

The LGBTQ opinions of the new Pope are not clear either, but certain groups, including the Conservative College of Cardinals, think that it can be less favorable than Pope Francis.

Matt Walsh, a commentator of the Conservative Daily Wire, wrote: “There are good signs and bad signs with this new pope. I want to see what he really does with his papacy before making any type of judgment.”

But some of the most dedicated Maga supporters have already made their decision.

Laura Loopomer, an far-right influencer who has Trump’s ear, swinging the president on staff decisions, called the new anti-Trump, anti-Maga, pro-open borders and a total Marxist like Pope Francis “.

Bannon, who had suggested Leo as a black horse for the papacy, predicted the tensions between the White House and the Vatican – and said they could even tear American Catholics.

“Remember, President Trump did not hesitate to take a blow to Pope Francis,” he said.

“So, if this pope – what he will do – try to pass between President Trump and his implementation of the mass expulsion program, I would be there.”

With report by Cai Pigluucci