Latest news with #CenteronReligionandCulture
Mint
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Two Americans on the world stage: President Donald Trump says ‘fight', Pope Leo says ‘peace'
In an unprecedented moment in global history, two of the world's most influential figures — US President Donald Trump and newly elected Pope Leo XIV — hail from the same country. Yet their leadership styles, worldviews, and public personas couldn't be more different. While Trump made his international debut with a fiery call to 'fight' and an unapologetically nationalist agenda, Pope Leo XIV began his papacy with a single word: 'Peace.' That contrast now defines the global stage, where America's outsized influence is being projected through two starkly different lenses. Donald Trump, leading the world's largest economy and military, has reshaped US foreign policy around an 'America First' doctrine — triggering trade wars, testing alliances, and stoking nationalist sentiment. His brash persona has drawn criticism for being combative and performative, especially in dealings with the press and international institutions. In contrast, Pope Leo XIV — born Robert F. Prevost in Chicago — offers a quieter, bridge-building tone. A veteran missionary who spent two decades in Peru and recently headed the Vatican office responsible for overseeing bishops, Leo is seen as calm, deliberative, and inclusive. He made history last week as the first US-born pope and the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church, representing 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. The dual emergence of Trump and Leo as global leaders has sparked debate about American influence at a time when many allies are questioning the reliability of US leadership. For decades, the Catholic Church had avoided selecting an American pope, wary of appearing too closely tied to a global superpower. But Leo's selection — following Pope Francis' death on April 21 — signals a shift. 'The irony of Leo's election is that many in the rest of the world will view it as a sign of hope — as an American who can speak for them rather than act against them,' said David Gibson, director of Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture. Leo's vision diverges sharply from Trump's, particularly on immigration, climate change, and the role of the media. He has previously criticized Trump's vice president, JD Vance, on religious grounds, sharing an article that rebutted Vance's call to prioritize love for fellow citizens over outsiders. Leo, addressing thousands in St. Peter's Square, offered a different message: 'We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open.' Trump, meanwhile, has remained politically dominant. During the mourning period for Pope Francis, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope — a move he later downplayed but which drew backlash from Catholic communities. He still offered congratulations, calling Leo's election a 'great honor.' Despite his US roots, Pope Leo's identity is far more global. He holds dual citizenship, spent most of his adult life outside the United States, and delivered his first papal address in Italian — not English. Vatican watchers noted that he made no reference to his American heritage in that speech, a subtle but clear signal of his broader mission. Trump and Pope Leo represent two very different expressions of American power: one rooted in political dominance, the other in spiritual leadership. 'The Gospel meets the culture,' said Catholic scholar Steven Millies. 'That's not Trump's lane as a president, a reality TV star, or a businessman.' And yet, both men will shape global conversations — Trump from the White House and campaign trail, and Leo from the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. For the first time, the eyes of the world turn to two Americans, each offering a radically different answer to the question of what leadership looks like in 2025.
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
President Donald Trump and Pope Leo are now Earth's most powerful Americans. They lead in different roles and realms
The motto of one newly elected American world leader: ' Fight! ' The other introduced himself to the world with his first public word as pope: 'Peace.' The contrast between President Donald Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV couldn't be more stark — politically, personally or in their world views. They lead in different roles and realms. But Leo's historic election last week to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics as the first U.S.-born pope means that the two most powerful people on the planet are Americans. That raises questions about American influence at a time when Trump's tariff wars and 'one way or the other' threats have upended eight decades of global order and sparked distrust among allies toward the United States. The prospect of too much American power in geopolitics is widely considered one reason that the Catholic Church had not elected an American to the papacy across the country's nearly 250-year history. Until, that is, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of Chicago — Pope Leo XIV — was chosen last week to be the 267th pontiff. 'The irony of Leo's election is that many in the rest of the world will view it as a sign of hope — as an American who can speak for them rather than act against them,' said David Gibson, director of Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture. The shock and delight of the not-well-known cardinal's election soon shifted into robust discussion about how the top of the global pecking order could be populated by two Americans. Trump is known to not enjoy sharing attention or primacy, as his 'America first' foreign policy approach makes clear. American Catholics chose Trump over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. In one apparent appeal to them, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as a pope during the days of mourning for Pope Francis, who died April 21. The move was not appreciated by some Catholics and Italians. Trump denied posting the image himself and said anyone who was offended 'can't take a joke.' He insisted that 'the Catholics loved it.' Even so, Trump wished Leo well and called it a 'great honor' that the new pope was American. Pope Leo, meanwhile, is in some senses a politician as well, with a calm manner and the approach of talking to his fellow cardinals in small groups before the conclave, they said. Though he was born in Chicago, Leo — then Prevost — spent two decades as a missionary in Peru before being appointed by Pope Francis in 2023 to lead the Vatican's powerful office that vets bishops around the world. He wouldn't be the first pope to wade into world politics. Pope John Paul II, for example, is rightly credited with helping bring down communism. But Leo enters the papacy having already criticized Vice President JD Vance, the highest-profile Catholic in American politics, on social media. Leo is at odds with the administration on such policy issues as immigration — Trump's signature issue — and the environment. Like Trump, Leo has turned his attention to the media. On Monday in Vatican City, he called for the release of imprisoned journalists and affirmed the calling for 'all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.' In contrast, Trump's approach to journalists has been combative, from the White House to the courts. In early February, Leo — then still Prevost — shared an article from a Catholic publication with the headline, 'JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others.' It came days after Vance — a convert to Catholicism — discussed immigration in a Fox News interview by referencing a Christian tenet '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.' Leo, speaking Italian to thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square, described a different vision for the Church and human relations: 'We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open, like this very piazza, welcoming.' Vance suggested the papacy is 'bigger' than politics and social media. 'It's very hard to fit a 2,000-year-old institution into the politics of 2025 America,' he said during an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, adding that 'it's better for all of us if we allow the church to be about the saving of souls.' In the rise of Trump at the same time as Leo, 'the gospel meets the culture,' said Steven Millies, director of The Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Religion and politics, he added, are misaligned because they are 'oriented toward different purposes.' 'What both Francis and then Cardinal Prevost were doing was being bishops — teaching the Gospel, and reminding us the Gospel always is on the side of the poor, the afflicted, the suffering,' Millies said in an email. 'That's not Trump's lane as a president, a reality TV star or a businessman.' Leo's decades in Peru — he is a citizen of both countries — can give him a broader view of humanity and power, and religion and politics, scholars say. Beyond the obvious personality differences with Trump, Leo is expected to wield power differently — to the neediest people first, for example, whereas Trump cut off American aid. Leo did not mention his American roots during his first speech, nor did he speak in English — a sign, some Vatican watchers said, of his global priorities. 'Even though it is factually true that Leo is the first U.S.-born pope, it makes more sense to think about him as the second pope of the Americas. This challenges 'America first' approaches and imagines the region more holistically, as Pope Francis did first, with its center of gravity in the global south,' said Raul Zegarra, assistant professor of Roman Catholic theological studies at Harvard Divinity School. 'All of this points to a pope that understands global leadership through dialogue instead of isolation; who understands power through service, instead of domination,' he said. 'It is hard to imagine a sharper contrast with the current administration in the U.S.' To hear some of the American cardinals tell it, Leo actually is not all that American in style or outlook, and his U.S. heritage played little if any part in his selection as pope. But Trump hovered over the proceedings. Six American cardinals who had participated in the conclave took the stage at a press conference as 'Born in the USA' and 'American Pie' blared from speakers. Then, one after another downplayed Leo's American roots. One quoted a phrase that was going around, that Leo is 'the least American of the American' cardinals. Several said they expected Leo to be a 'bridge-builder' with the Trump administration — the meaning of the Latin word 'pontiff.' Asked whether the cardinals elected Leo to offset Trump, several said no. 'I don't think at all my brother cardinals would have thought of him as a counterweight to any one person,' said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York. 'Obviously the cardinals were quite aware of things that have occurred in the United States, statements that have been made, political actions that have been taken,' said Wilton Gregory, archbishop emeritus of Washington. But the conclave's goal, he said, was choosing 'who among us' could strengthen the faith. Said Millies: 'It's not that the world should fear a U.S.-born pope. Quite the reverse: As 'the least American of the Americans,' he is untainted by our recent politics and may seem safer even as, still, he is an American intimately familiar with this nation's better angels.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump and Pope Leo are now Earth's most powerful Americans
The motto of one newly elected American world leader: ' Fight! ' The other introduced himself to the world with his first public word as pope: ' Peace.' The contrast between President Donald Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV couldn't be more stark — politically, personally or in their world views. They lead in different roles and realms. But Leo's historic election last week to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics as the first U.S.-born pope means that the two most powerful people on the planet are Americans. That raises questions about American influence at a time when Trump's tariff wars and 'one way or the other' threats have upended eight decades of global order and sparked distrust among allies toward the United States. The prospect of too much American power in geopolitics is widely considered one reason that the Catholic Church had not elected an American to the papacy across the country's nearly 250-year history. Until, that is, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of Chicago — Pope Leo XIV — was chosen last week to be the 267th pontiff. 'The irony of Leo's election is that many in the rest of the world will view it as a sign of hope — as an American who can speak for them rather than act against them,' said David Gibson, director of Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture. The shock and delight of the not-well-known cardinal's election soon shifted into robust discussion about how the top of the global pecking order could be populated by two Americans. Trump is known to not enjoy sharing attention or primacy, as his 'America first' foreign policy approach makes clear. American Catholics chose Trump over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. In one apparent appeal to them, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as a pope during the days of mourning for Pope Francis, who died April 21. The move was not appreciated by some Catholics and Italians. Trump denied posting the image himself and said anyone who was offended 'can't take a joke.' He insisted that 'the Catholics loved it.' Even so, Trump wished Leo well and called it a 'great honor' that the new pope was American. Pope Leo, meanwhile, is in some senses a politician as well, with a calm manner and the approach of talking to his fellow cardinals in small groups before the conclave, they said. Though he was born in Chicago, Leo — then Prevost — spent two decades as a missionary in Peru before being appointed by Pope Francis in 2023 to lead the Vatican's powerful office that vets bishops around the world. He wouldn't be the first pope to wade into world politics. Pope John Paul II, for example, is rightly credited with helping bring down communism. But Leo enters the papacy having already criticized Vice President JD Vance, the highest-profile Catholic in American politics, on social media. Leo is at odds with the administration on such policy issues as immigration — Trump's signature issue — and the environment. Like Trump, Leo has turned his attention to the media. On Monday in Vatican City, he called for the release of imprisoned journalists and affirmed the calling for 'all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.' In contrast, Trump's approach to journalists has been combative, from the White House to the courts. In early February, Leo — then still Prevost — shared an article from a Catholic publication with the headline, 'JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others.' It came days after Vance — a convert to Catholicism — discussed immigration in a Fox News interview by referencing a Christian tenet '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.' Leo, speaking Italian to thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square, described a different vision for the Church and human relations: 'We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open, like this very piazza, welcoming.' Vance suggested the papacy is 'bigger' than politics and social media. 'It's very hard to fit a 2,000-year-old institution into the politics of 2025 America,' he said during an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, adding that 'it's better for all of us if we allow the church to be about the saving of souls.' In the rise of Trump at the same time as Leo, 'the gospel meets the culture,' said Steven Millies, director of The Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Religion and politics, he added, are misaligned because they are 'oriented toward different purposes.' 'What both Francis and then Cardinal Prevost were doing was being bishops — teaching the Gospel, and reminding us the Gospel always is on the side of the poor, the afflicted, the suffering,' Millies said in an email. 'That's not Trump's lane as a president, a reality TV star or a businessman.' Leo's decades in Peru — he is a citizen of both countries — can give him a broader view of humanity and power, and religion and politics, scholars say. Beyond the obvious personality differences with Trump, Leo is expected to wield power differently — to the neediest people first, for example, whereas Trump cut off American aid. Leo did not mention his American roots during his first speech, nor did he speak in English — a sign, some Vatican watchers said, of his global priorities. 'Even though it is factually true that Leo is the first U.S.-born pope, it makes more sense to think about him as the second pope of the Americas. This challenges 'America first' approaches and imagines the region more holistically, as Pope Francis did first, with its center of gravity in the global south,' said Raul Zegarra, assistant professor of Roman Catholic theological studies at Harvard Divinity School. 'All of this points to a pope that understands global leadership through dialogue instead of isolation; who understands power through service, instead of domination,' he said. 'It is hard to imagine a sharper contrast with the current administration in the U.S.' To hear some of the American cardinals tell it, Leo actually is not all that American in style or outlook, and his U.S. heritage played little if any part in his selection as pope. But Trump hovered over the proceedings. Six American cardinals who had participated in the conclave took the stage at a press conference as 'Born in the USA' and 'American Pie' blared from speakers. Then, one after another downplayed Leo's American roots. One quoted a phrase that was going around, that Leo is 'the least American of the American' cardinals. Several said they expected Leo to be a 'bridge-builder' with the Trump administration — the meaning of the Latin word 'pontiff.' Asked whether the cardinals elected Leo to offset Trump, several said no. 'I don't think at all my brother cardinals would have thought of him as a counterweight to any one person,' said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York. 'Obviously the cardinals were quite aware of things that have occurred in the United States, statements that have been made, political actions that have been taken,' said Wilton Gregory, archbishop emeritus of Washington. But the conclave's goal, he said, was choosing 'who among us' could strengthen the faith. Said Millies: 'It's not that the world should fear a U.S.-born pope. Quite the reverse: As 'the least American of the Americans,' he is untainted by our recent politics and may seem safer even as, still, he is an American intimately familiar with this nation's better angels.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Trump and Pope Leo are among Earth's most powerful Americans. They lead in different roles and realms
The motto of one newly elected American world leader: " Fight! " The other introduced himself to the world with his first public word as pope: " Peace." The contrast between US President Donald Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV couldn't be more stark — politically, personally or in their world views. They lead in different roles and realms. But Leo's historic election last week to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics as the first US-born pope means that the two most powerful people on the planet are Americans. That raises questions about American influence at a time when Trump's tariff wars and "one way or the other" threats have upended eight decades of global order and sparked distrust among allies toward the United States. The prospect of too much American power in geopolitics is widely considered one reason that the Catholic Church had not elected an American to the papacy across the country's nearly 250-year history. Until, that is, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of Chicago — Pope Leo XIV — was chosen last week to be the 267th pontiff. "The irony of Leo's election is that many in the rest of the world will view it as a sign of hope — as an American who can speak for them rather than act against them," said David Gibson, director of Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture. Pope Leo is another kind of American on world stage The shock and delight of the not-well-known cardinal's election soon shifted into robust discussion about how the top of the global pecking order could be populated by two Americans. Trump is known to not enjoy sharing attention or primacy, as his "America first" foreign policy approach makes clear. American Catholics chose Trump over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. In one apparent appeal to them, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as a pope during the days of mourning for Pope Francis, who died April 21. The move was not appreciated by some Catholics and Italians. Trump denied posting the image himself and said anyone who was offended "can't take a joke." He insisted that "the Catholics loved it." Even so, Trump wished Leo well and called it a "great honor" that the new pope was American.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
13-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Trump and Pope Leo: Two most powerful Americans on Earth with contrasting mottos, ‘fight' and ‘peace'
The contrast between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, two of the most influential Americans in the world, is striking in many ways. read more Two of the most influential Americans in the world, Pope Leo and President Trump are starkly different in many ways. (Photo: People Magazine) The motto of one newly elected American world leader: " Fight! " The other introduced himself to the world with his first public word as pope: ' Peace." The contrast between President Donald Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV couldn't be more stark — politically, personally or in their world views. They lead in different roles and realms. But Leo's historic election last week to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics as the first U.S.-born pope means that the two most powerful people on the planet are Americans. That raises questions about American influence at a time when Trump's tariff wars and 'one way or the other' threats have upended eight decades of global order and sparked distrust among allies toward the United States. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The prospect of too much American power in geopolitics is widely considered one reason that the Catholic Church had not elected an American to the papacy across the country's nearly 250-year history. Until, that is, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of Chicago — Pope Leo XIV — was chosen last week to be the 267th pontiff. 'The irony of Leo's election is that many in the rest of the world will view it as a sign of hope — as an American who can speak for them rather than act against them,' said David Gibson, director of Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture. The shock and delight of the not-well-known cardinal's election soon shifted into robust discussion about how the top of the global pecking order could be populated by two Americans. Trump is known to not enjoy sharing attention or primacy, as his 'America first' foreign policy approach makes clear. American Catholics chose Trump over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. In one apparent appeal to them, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as a pope during the days of mourning for Pope Francis, who died April 21. The move was not appreciated by some Catholics and Italians. Trump denied posting the image himself and said anyone who was offended 'can't take a joke.' He insisted that 'the Catholics loved it.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Even so, Trump wished Leo well and called it a 'great honor' that the new pope was American. Pope Leo, meanwhile, is in some senses a politician as well, with a calm manner and the approach of talking to his fellow cardinals in small groups before the conclave, they said. Though he was born in Chicago, Leo — then Prevost — spent two decades as a missionary in Peru before being appointed by Pope Francis in 2023 to lead the Vatican's powerful office that vets bishops around the world. He wouldn't be the first pope to wade into world politics. Pope John Paul II, for example, is rightly credited with helping bring down communism. But Leo enters the papacy having already criticized Vice President JD Vance, the highest-profile Catholic in American politics, on social media. Leo is at odds with the administration on such policy issues as immigration — Trump's signature issue — and the environment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Like Trump, Leo has turned his attention to the media. On Monday in Vatican City, he called for the release of imprisoned journalists and affirmed the calling for 'all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.' In contrast, Trump's approach to journalists has been combative, from the White House to the courts. In early February, Leo — then still Prevost — shared an article from a Catholic publication with the headline, 'JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others.' It came days after Vance — a convert to Catholicism — discussed immigration in a Fox News interview by referencing a Christian tenet '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.' Leo, speaking Italian to thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square, described a different vision for the Church and human relations: 'We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open, like this very piazza, welcoming.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Vance suggested the papacy is 'bigger' than politics and social media. 'It's very hard to fit a 2,000-year-old institution into the politics of 2025 America,' he said during an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, adding that 'it's better for all of us if we allow the church to be about the saving of souls.' In the rise of Trump at the same time as Leo, 'the gospel meets the culture,' said Steven Millies, director of The Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Religion and politics, he added, are misaligned because they are 'oriented toward different purposes." 'What both Francis and then Cardinal Prevost were doing was being bishops — teaching the Gospel, and reminding us the Gospel always is on the side of the poor, the afflicted, the suffering,' Millies said in an email. 'That's not Trump's lane as a president, a reality TV star or a businessman.' Leo's decades in Peru — he is a citizen of both countries — can give him a broader view of humanity and power, and religion and politics, scholars say. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Beyond the obvious personality differences with Trump, Leo is expected to wield power differently — to the neediest people first, for example, whereas Trump cut off American aid. Leo did not mention his American roots during his first speech, nor did he speak in English — a sign, some Vatican watchers said, of his global priorities. 'Even though it is factually true that Leo is the first U.S.-born pope, it makes more sense to think about him as the second pope of the Americas. This challenges 'America first' approaches and imagines the region more holistically, as Pope Francis did first, with its center of gravity in the global south,' said Raul Zegarra, assistant professor of Roman Catholic theological studies at Harvard Divinity School. 'All of this points to a pope that understands global leadership through dialogue instead of isolation; who understands power through service, instead of domination," he said. 'It is hard to imagine a sharper contrast with the current administration in the U.S.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD To hear some of the American cardinals tell it, Leo actually is not all that American in style or outlook, and his U.S. heritage played little if any part in his selection as pope. But Trump hovered over the proceedings. Six American cardinals who had participated in the conclave took the stage at a press conference as 'Born in the USA' and 'American Pie' blared from speakers. Then, one after another downplayed Leo's American roots. One quoted a phrase that was going around, that Leo is 'the least American of the American' cardinals. Several said they expected Leo to be a 'bridge-builder' with the Trump administration — the meaning of the Latin word 'pontiff.' Asked whether the cardinals elected Leo to offset Trump, several said no. 'I don't think at all my brother cardinals would have thought of him as a counterweight to any one person,' said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Obviously the cardinals were quite aware of things that have occurred in the United States, statements that have been made, political actions that have been taken,' said Wilton Gregory, archbishop emeritus of Washington. But the conclave's goal, he said, was choosing 'who among us' could strengthen the faith. Said Millies: 'It's not that the world should fear a U.S.-born pope. Quite the reverse: As 'the least American of the Americans,' he is untainted by our recent politics and may seem safer even as, still, he is an American intimately familiar with this nation's better angels.' (Except headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff)
