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CNN
07-08-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Inside one pastor's crusade for Christian domination in the age of Trump
Washington, DC and Moscow, Idaho — A standing-room only crowd gathered on a Sunday morning last month above a former bar three blocks from the US Capitol to formally open a new church. The inaugural service of Christ Church Washington DC, an extension of an Idaho-based Evangelical movement, took place in a building owned by the Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI), a think tank co-led by President Donald Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows. Exposed brick and pipes adorned the ceiling. An American flag hung above the pastor on the makeshift stage. Minutes before the service began, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth walked in with his wife and children. Though he wasn't in Washington, the opening marked a major achievement for Douglas Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist pastor who, since the 1970s, has built his Evangelical church in Moscow, Idaho, into what's now an international network of more than 150 churches, as well as Christian schools, a college and a publishing company. In dozens of books and years of blog posts, Wilson advocates for the idea that America should adopt a Christian theocracy and adhere to a biblical interpretation of society. The new church in Washington is part of that mission, he says. 'Every society is theocratic,' Wilson said in an interview with CNN at his Christ Church in Idaho. 'The only question is who's 'Theo'? In Saudi Arabia, Theo is Allah. In a secular democracy, it would be Demos, the people. In a Christian republic, it'd be Christ.' Wilson believes in a patriarchal society where women are expected to submit to their husbands. Women are banned from leadership positions in his church. He supports repealing the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, (though he says it's not a top priority) wants to outlaw abortion and says homosexuality should be a crime. While he's been on the fringes of the religious right for decades, Wilson has found an increasingly mainstream Republican audience under Trump. During Covid, his church in Moscow defied lockdown rules and held an outdoor protest in September 2020, leading to arrests, national attention and support from Trump on Twitter. His church community in Idaho has roughly doubled in size since 2019, he says. Last year, Wilson was interviewed on Tucker Carlson's podcast and spoke at Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA 'The Believers' Summit.' 'My views on a number of things have become steadily more mainstream and have done that without me moving at all,' Wilson said. Now, with a newly created White House Faith Office and Hegseth instituting monthly prayer services at the Pentagon, Wilson is part of an ascendent group of Christian religious leaders finding influence among MAGA conservatives. 'There's really a whole movement of these folks,' said Matthew Taylor, a senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic-Christian-Jewish Studies, an educational nonprofit that advocates for religious diversity. Taylor says they're often known as the 'Theo Bros.' 'These almost always male, online-influencer types. Pastors, usually with a big beard, preaching hardline Calvinist theology,' said Taylor. 'And Doug Wilson is the avatar or ringleader of that crowd.' Wilson's critics point to a litany of his views they argue are well outside the mainstream, and they say they're concerned about the influence he's accrued. 'They actually literally want to take over towns and cities, and so they're building a grassroots infrastructure to do that. And they have access to this administration,' said Rev. Jennifer Butler, who founded Faith in Public Life, a network of progressive faith leaders. 'If you are Jewish, if you're a Muslim, if you're a woman, if you're gay — they want to criminalize LGBTQ people — you don't belong in this society.' Wilson doesn't apologize for his views or his theology, though he notes he writes with a 'tartness' that animates those who disagree with him. He says he has embraced the term 'Christian nationalist' because it's better than the other names he gets called. 'I'm not a White nationalist. I'm not a fascist. I'm not a racist. I'm not a misogynist, and those are the names that usually get thrown at me,' he said. 'And then when someone says, well, that's Christian nationalism, I can — well, I can work with that.' 'Owned what he believes' Wilson's most prominent and public follower in the Trump administration is Hegseth, who is a member of a church in Tennessee that's part of Wilson's network, known as the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). When Hegseth held his first Christian prayer service at the Pentagon, he brought in the pastor from Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, his church in Tennessee. Hegseth says he had moved there in 2022 to send his kids to a school that's part of a Christian network that Wilson helped found. While Wilson did not meet Hegseth until he was confirmed as defense secretary, the pastor says it's 'very encouraging' to see the unapologetic way that Hegseth has 'owned what he believes,' which has included purging DEI and so-called 'woke' polices from the military. Asked about Hegseth's controversial history, including numerous marital infidelities as well as allegations of excessive drinking and sexual assault, which Hegseth has denied, Wilson acknowledged, 'His past is pretty raggedy.' Now, Wilson says: 'Pete Hegseth is living like a Christian man ought to live.' Wilson described their first meeting in Tennessee in May at Hegseth's local CREC church as 'very pleasant.' In a statement to CNN, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said: 'The Secretary is a proud member of a church affiliated with the Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches, which was founded by Pastor Doug Wilson. The Secretary very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson's writings and teachings.' Wilson's church has already benefited from Trump being in office. In May, the Department of Justice intervened on behalf of the church, suing the town of Troy, Idaho, which had denied the church's application to operate in a former bank building, citing parking and traffic issues due to the location in the town's business district. The DOJ lawsuit accuses the town of religious discrimination. 'A Mission to Babylon' In a May blog post titled, 'A Mission to Babylon' announcing the new church in Washington, Wilson wrote there would be 'many strategic opportunities with numerous evangelicals who will be present both in and around the Trump administration.' 'We're not planting the church so that we can get to meet senators and important people. What we're doing is planting a church so that the important people in DC will be reminded that God is the important one. What matters is His favor,' Wilson told CNN. 'We've got a number of people that are connected to us that are there, and we wanted to have a church service available for them.' Wilson's Washington congregation meets above a shuttered bar popular with congressional staffers, Capitol Lounge, which still has old political memorabilia covering its darkened walls. The current venue underscores the connections to Trump's base in Washington. The building is one of several near the Capitol purchased by CPI while Trump was out of power. Led by Meadows, now a DC MAGA power broker, and former Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, CPI is at the heart of a network of conservative advocacy organizations, including the Center for Renewing America, created by Trump's budget director Russ Vought, and America First Legal, an operation co-founded by current White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Asked how the church ended up using CPI's building, Wilson says a friend in Washington made the connection. (CPI did not respond to a request for comment.) Wilson says he was grateful for the first Trump administration and the appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices that led to the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Now in the second Trump administration he wants to see the high court repeal the 2015 decision legalizing gay marriage nationwide. Asked how the president fits into his mission, Wilson says: 'Trump is the wrecking ball. He is the wild card. He is, he's the thing that nobody really anticipated.' A divided college town In person, Wilson, 72, comes across as a sincere, mild-mannered grandfather with a thick white beard. He has three grown children — who are all members of the CREC church. (By the church's rules, he says that if his children left the church he could not be in charge, under the philosophy that if you can't lead your children, you can't lead the church.) Wilson is a postmillennialist, meaning he believes it's the job of Christians to build the kingdom of God on Earth in order to bring about the second coming of Christ. He says he sees his theology squaring off against a broader secular society that's been dominant in the US. Christ Church was founded in Moscow, Idaho, in the 1970s by Wilson's father, an evangelist who had settled his family there. The younger Wilson had just completed a stint in the Navy and was attending college in Moscow, and he writes that he became the head preacher of the fledgling church after about a year-and-a-half when the regular preacher moved to a new city. Home to the University of Idaho, Moscow is a college town, with clear competing forces in its idyllic strip of businesses along Main Street. Coffee and book shops displaying pride flags and 'Black Lives Matter' signs reside beside businesses owned by 'kirkers,' the name members of Wilson's congregation call themselves based on the Scottish word for church (Christ Church's website is ' It doesn't take long for Wilson's notoriety to show itself. While walking down Main Street with a CNN reporter, a shop owner popped out of a vintage clothing and record store called Revolver and shouted 'boo' in Wilson's direction. 'Well, there ya go,' Wilson said, looking unphased. 'It's not unusual,' he said of that sort of reception from fellow Moscow residents. 'Everybody laments the fact that we don't have community anymore, and then as soon as you start to have community, people start calling them names like a cult,' Wilson said. The church's sprawling presence in the town is hard to miss. In addition to Christ Church, Wilson more than four decades ago started the Logos School, an elementary and secondary school, when his oldest daughter was school-aged. Wilson says it was the first of what's now more than 400 'classical Christian schools' across the US. Wilson also started New Saint Andrews College in the 1990s, a small four-year college that's located on Moscow's Main Street. Just up the way from Christ Church is the Canon Press building. Works from the publishing arm of Wilson's empire are displayed, such as the poster of a book published there, 'It's Good to Be a Man: A Handbook for Godly Masculinity,' near the kitchenette. The CREC network now has more than 130 churches in nearly 40 states across the US and another 25 around the globe, including Canada, Poland, Ukraine, Russia and Australia. More than anything, Wilson says, the Covid pandemic and the government's response is what's fueled growth in his church. People were 'chased here,' he says, by blue-state governors, Covid restrictions and pastors elsewhere who closed their churches down. Wilson's many controversial views and writings Wilson says that his critics who accuse him of wanting to turn American society into a theocracy like 'The Handmaid's Tale' misunderstand his mission. 'I think all of those people would, in most areas of their life, be astonished at how much more liberty they had,' Wilson said. 'Because we are living under an oppressive, tyrannical state that wants to they want to regulate how much water comes out of my shower head. They want to regulate what kind of light bulb I can have. They want to regulate all kinds of stuff, and that affects the Muslims and the Hindus.' But critics of Wilson say his claims about the benefits of a theocratic society don't hold up for those who aren't Christian, male or straight. 'There would be fewer infringements on individual liberty from the government, that is probably true,' said Julie Ingersoll, a professor of religious studies at the University of North Florida. 'But certainty the church would have a ton more authority,' she said. 'And families would be tiny little patriarchies. These folks have said out loud that they don't think women should have the right to vote. And in the CREC, women do not vote. All congregational decisions that are made by members voting — it's the men who vote on behalf of their families.' Wilson and his pastors say they would support repealing the 19th Amendment, which gives women the right to vote, because they believe each household should have a sole vote from the head of the household (widows or single women would still get a vote, they say). 'This is a key in the way that we're thinking about the world itself. So I believe that the household is a unit, and so the household should have one vote,' said Jared Longshore, executive pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, who delivered the sermon at the opening of Christ Church Washington DC last month. 'I would ordinarily be the one that would cast the vote, but I would cast the vote having discussed it with my household,' said Toby Sumpter, another pastor at Christ Church. Wilson's writings on sex and marriage have sparked criticisms that his theology opens the door to spousal abuse and even marital rape. In a passage from his 1999 book titled, 'Fidelity: What it Means to be a One-Woman Man,' Wilson writes: 'A man penetrates, conquers, colonizes, plants. A woman receives, surrenders, accepts.' Wilson insisted to CNN that his theology has never supported sexual or spousal abuse, and he says he's helped women escape abusive relationships. 'If there is sexual abuse or violent abuse, other forms of misbehavior, I believe that other authorities, sometimes the cops, sometimes the elders of the church, sometimes other family members, extended family members, need to intervene to protect the woman or to protect the children,' Wilson said. Wilson advocates for ending legalized gay marriage and supports laws making homosexuality illegal, noting sodomy was banned by all 50 states when he started preaching in the 1970s. 'That America of that day was not a totalitarian hellhole,' Wilson said. His most controversial commentary is arguably about slavery. He co-wrote a booklet in the 1990s on slavery in the South, which included the claim: 'Slavery produced in the South a genuine affection between the races that we believe we can say has never existed in any nation before the War or since.' Asked if he still believes there was affection between the races, Wilson said: 'Well, yes, it depends on which master, which slave you're talking about.' 'Slavery was overseen and conducted by fallen human beings, and there were horrendous abuses and there were also people who owned slaves who were decent human beings and didn't mistreat them,' he said. 'I think that system of chattel slavery was an unbiblical system, and I'm grateful it's gone.' 'It's barely, barely started' Wilson says that his vision of turning American into a Christian nation means that Christ would be 'in the public square' but others would still be free to practice their own religions. He says his ultimate goal remains achieving a Christian theocracy across the globe, to facilitate the second coming of Christ. It's a goal he still believes is 250 years or so away. 'Yes, by peaceful means, by sharing the gospel,' he says of how it would happen. 'We're a little putt-putt effort here. So the world has got 8 billion people in it. There's a lot of work yet to do. I believe that we are working our little corner of the vineyard.' In Washington, Wilson says it's 'very encouraging' to see Hegseth defending his beliefs as he's taken a top position in Trump's administration. Hegseth's service at the Pentagon with a CREC pastor was 'not organizationally tied to us, but it's the kind of thing we love to see,' Wilson said. 'But everybody who loves the Lord in Washington, DC, will tell you how much they're up against,' Wilson said. 'And it's not anywhere close to being done. It's barely, barely started.'
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour's new towns ‘threaten local democracy'
Labour's plans to build hundreds of thousands of homes in new towns across the country risk stifling local democracy and eroding public trust, experts have warned. Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, has signalled that each new town is likely be governed by a development corporation to ensure projects progress beyond the current parliament. Development corporations are organisations created by the Government or regional officials to oversee large-scale developments, often regeneration of former industrial areas. They can be led by ministers, metro mayors or local authority leaders. Boards are often appointed by central government or other authorities, rather than being elected by the people who are potentially most affected by their decisions. Mr Pennycook's comments have raised concerns that people living near the sites of proposed new towns will not have a say in the decision-making process. Miriam Levin, a director at Demos, a cross-party think tank, said the proposals risked a 'democratic deficit where decision-makers are not directly accountable to the local population, and aren't subject to the same level of scrutiny that residents expect from their local authority'. While new towns are 'much needed' to address the nation's chronic housing shortage, she warned that development corporations 'could pose a risk to democratic accountability'. Ms Levin said: 'Existing communities and newcomers need to be involved in the shaping of new towns from the outset. The risk of citizens' voices being marginalised, is [where] communities feel like developments are being imposed on them. This reinforces the doom-loop of loss of trust in politics and political institutions.' The National Association of Local Councils (Nalc) said its members 'must be at the heart of [the] process' and said there should be 'local democratic representation from the outset'. Mr Pennycook said during a parliamentary session last week he 'very strongly' felt there 'must be a role for local voice in whatever delivery mechanism comes forward' and said ministers 'want as much local buy-in as possible'. However, he told the built environment committee that ministers 'wouldn't hesitate' to take forward sites deemed to be in the national interest, even if they face a major backlash from local communities. 'Citizen participation' His comments follow a vow from Sir Keir Starmer to '[take] on the Nimbys' to boost economic growth and prevent them from blocking major infrastructure projects. Ms Levin said: 'The new towns programme offers a huge opportunity to enable radical forms of citizen engagement, co-design, community and self-build models, and long-term stewardship in the creation of new places. 'Development corporation models should be deployed to enable citizen participation, not to stifle it.' Around a dozen areas will be earmarked for the first wave of new towns and major urban extensions in a taskforce report, set to be sent to ministers within the next few weeks. Some are expected to be built on greenfield sites. A spokesman for the Nalc said: 'Where parish and town councils already exist, they must be fully involved in shaping and delivering the new town, and their role must be respected and empowered throughout the process. 'If delivered in a fair and balanced way, with full consultation and engagement with communities, new towns can help meet housing targets and create sustainable, thriving places. 'Ultimately, successful new towns will be those built with communities, not just for them.' A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: 'We are facing a housing crisis, and councils have a key role to play in addressing this challenge. 'It is vital that any governance model for new towns is underpinned by strong local democratic accountability, ensuring that councils and their communities have a central and meaningful voice in shaping local areas.' New towns that were built by development corporations include Milton Keynes, chaired by Lord Campbell of Eskan. Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is pressing on with plans to create a mayoral development corporation to pedestrianise Oxford Street, a decision that has prompted a backlash from Labour-run Westminster City Council as it torpedoed two years of work on its own £90m project to improve the area. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: 'The Government was elected to build the next generation of new towns and, as set out in the manifesto, will work in close partnership with local leaders and people to make sure they are high quality, affordable and built with excellent infrastructure that communities will need. 'Local people will be given a say on how they are built, but as the housing minister set out last week, if sites meet objectives to meet housing demand and improves economic growth they will be taken forward in the national interest.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nimbyism on the rise in blow to Rayner's building blitz
Nimbyism is on the rise across Britain, new figures suggest, in a blow to Angela Rayner's hopes of kickstarting 'the biggest building boom in a generation'. The number of people identifying as Nimbys is estimated to have grown by almost a third since the Government stepped up its anti-Nimby rhetoric in late 2024, according to the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and Demos, a cross-party think tank. Polling shows that 23pc of people now class themselves as Nimbys, up from the 17.5pc recorded in a survey by Labour Together in September last year. The report warned that the rise in local resistance to developments risked hindering Ms Rayner's ambitions to build 1.5m homes by the end of this Parliament. The Housing Secretary has repeatedly vowed not to tolerate Nimbyism, pledging to end their 'chokehold' on housebuilding. Writing in The Telegraph in December, Ms Rayner, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said Nimbys would 'no longer have the upper hand'. Under proposed reforms, builders will be allowed to sidestep council planning committees, while campaigners will be blocked from making repeated legal challenges against major infrastructure projects. Sir Keir Starmer has echoed promises to stop developments being held up, saying in January that he would override the 'whims of Nimbys' against major building projects and back the builders, rather than the 'blockers'. However, researchers from RTPI and Demos said: 'Far from driving support, the Government's current combative tone could be dangerously backfiring. 'This poses a risk to the Government's ambitious housebuilding target and potentially their electoral strategy too if they face increasing local opposition.' They added that only 12pc of people felt they had a say over the outcome of planning decisions, pointing to risks that the Government's 'enthusiasm to drive forward building could fuel further mistrust'. The report shows that 67pc of the British public identify as Mimbys – 'Maybe in my backyard' – representing those who are open to new developments in their areas under the right circumstances. Just 10pc identify as Yimbys, or 'Yes in my backyard'. Victoria Hills, chief executive of the RTPI, said that trust could be rebuilt between local communities and the Government if they were involved in the planning process at an earlier stage. Ms Hills said: 'Through effective community engagement, the majority of people would accept housing near them. 'If our members, and the authorities they work with, are given the time, space and expertise to engage early enough in the process, then we would find that housing across the country is delivered with the support of the local communities, not despite them.' Polly Curtis, chief executive of Demos, said: 'Cutting the public out of the conversation like they are red tape will lead to more legal challenges and friction down the line. 'Instead, early and representative public participation will properly engage the Mimby majority, giving that silent majority a voice and helping to unlock housebuilding. 'This is a risk-reducing and time-saving strategy, and one that will help build trust in Government.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nimbyism on the rise in blow to Rayner's building blitz
Nimbyism is on the rise across Britain, new figures suggest, in a blow to Angela Rayner's hopes of kickstarting 'the biggest building boom in a generation'. The number of people identifying as Nimbys is estimated to have grown by almost a third since the Government stepped up its anti-Nimby rhetoric in late 2024, according to the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and Demos, a cross-party think tank. Polling shows that 23pc of people now class themselves as Nimbys, up from the 17.5pc recorded in a survey by Labour Together in September last year. The report warned that the rise in local resistance to developments risked hindering Ms Rayner's ambitions to build 1.5m homes by the end of this Parliament. The Housing Secretary has repeatedly vowed not to tolerate Nimbyism, pledging to end their 'chokehold' on housebuilding. Writing in The Telegraph in December, Ms Rayner, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said Nimbys would 'no longer have the upper hand'. Under proposed reforms, builders will be allowed to sidestep council planning committees, while campaigners will be blocked from making repeated legal challenges against major infrastructure projects. Sir Keir Starmer has echoed promises to stop developments being held up, saying in January that he would override the 'whims of Nimbys' against major building projects and back the builders, rather than the 'blockers'. However, researchers from RTPI and Demos said: 'Far from driving support, the Government's current combative tone could be dangerously backfiring. 'This poses a risk to the Government's ambitious housebuilding target and potentially their electoral strategy too if they face increasing local opposition.' They added that only 12pc of people felt they had a say over the outcome of planning decisions, pointing to risks that the Government's 'enthusiasm to drive forward building could fuel further mistrust'. The report shows that 67pc of the British public identify as Mimbys – 'Maybe in my backyard' – representing those who are open to new developments in their areas under the right circumstances. Just 10pc identify as Yimbys, or 'Yes in my backyard'. Victoria Hills, chief executive of the RTPI, said that trust could be rebuilt between local communities and the Government if they were involved in the planning process at an earlier stage. Ms Hills said: 'Through effective community engagement, the majority of people would accept housing near them. 'If our members, and the authorities they work with, are given the time, space and expertise to engage early enough in the process, then we would find that housing across the country is delivered with the support of the local communities, not despite them.' Polly Curtis, chief executive of Demos, said: 'Cutting the public out of the conversation like they are red tape will lead to more legal challenges and friction down the line. 'Instead, early and representative public participation will properly engage the Mimby majority, giving that silent majority a voice and helping to unlock housebuilding. 'This is a risk-reducing and time-saving strategy, and one that will help build trust in Government.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Business Standard
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Pope Francis leaves tough legacy behind, key challenges await successor
While Pope Francis accomplished a lot in his 12-year papacy, he left much unfinished business and many challenges for his successor from the Vatican's disastrous finances to the wars raging on multiple continents and discontent among traditionalists about his crackdown on the old Latin Mass. When the conclave's cardinals finish casting their ballots under Michelangelo's frescoed ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, the 267th pope will have to decide whether to continue Francis' policies, tweak them, or abandon them altogether. Will he prioritize migrants, the environment and the social justice policies that Francis championed, or give precedence to other issues? Among the challenges facing the new pope: The role of women Francis did more to promote women to leadership positions in the Vatican than any pope before him, and his successor will have to decide whether to continue that legacy, accelerate it or back down and change course. The issue isn't minor. Catholic women do much of the church's work in schools and hospitals and are usually responsible for passing the faith to the next generation. But they have long complained of second-class status in an institution that reserves the priesthood for men. Some are voting with their feet. Nuns are leaving in droves, either through attrition or simply quitting, leading to questions about the future of female religious orders. The Vatican says the number of nuns globally has been hemorrhaging about 10,000 per year for over a decade, with their numbers at 599,229 at the end of 2022, the last year for which there are statistics. In 2012, there were 702,529 nuns globally. The new pope will have to address women's expectations for not only a greater say in church governance, but greater recognition. We are the great majority of the people of God, said Maria Lia Zerbino, an Argentine named by Francis to advise the Vatican on bishop nominations, a first for a woman. It's a matter of justice. It's not an achievement of feminism, it's in the church's interest. Women's Ordination Conference, which advocates for female priests, goes further. The exclusion of women from the conclave, and from ordained ministry, is a sin and a scandal, it said. Gervase Ndyanabo, a prominent lay leader in Uganda, said there should be more participation of the laity and women in the administration of parishes and decision-making at all levels. Progress, he said, has come at a snail's speed. Polarisation of progressives and traditionalists An anonymous letter circulated among Vatican officials in 2022, highlighting what it called Francis' disastrous pontificate and what a new pope must do correct the catastrophe he had wrought. Its author was Australian Cardinal George Pell, but that fact emerged only after his death in 2023. Once a close adviser to Francis but always conservative, Pell grew increasingly disillusioned with his papacy, signing the letter with the pen name, Demos the common people. Last year, a screed by another anonymous cardinal circulated, signed by Demos II. It resumed where Pell left off, denouncing what it called Francis' autocratic, at times seemingly vindictive style of governance; a carelessness in matters of law; an intolerance for even respectful disagreement; and most seriously a pattern of ambiguity in matters of faith and morals causing confusion among the faithful. It blamed polarisation in the church on the confusion Francis had sown and urged the next pope to focus on recovery and reestablishment of truths that have been slowly obscured or lost among many Christians. Those letters underscored the age-old divisions between traditionalists and progressives in the Catholic Church that were exacerbated during Francis' pontificate. He emphasized inclusion and synodality," or listening to the faithful, and cracked down on traditionalists by restricting their celebration of the old Latin Mass. While the conservatives may not have enough votes to elect one of their own, a new pope will have to try to restore unity. The polarisation is keenly felt in the United States, where anyone using social media can challenge the Vatican or even the local church's perspective, said professor Steven Millies of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Such forms of communications "can have a narrative of what Catholicism is that doesn't come from any ordained minister, from any bishop, and can, night after night, the world over, suggest that the pope is wrong, he said. Clergy sexual abuse While many church leaders would like to think clergy sexual abuse scandals are in the past, survivors and their advocates want the new pope to address it as a top priority. Francis and Pope Benedict XVI took steps to end decades of abuse and cover-ups, changing church laws to punish abusers and their clerical superiors who hid their wrongdoing. But a culture of impunity still reigns, and church authorities have barely begun to deal with other forms of spiritual and psychological abuse that have traumatized generations of faithful. Twenty years after the sex abuse scandal first erupted in the US, there is still no transparency from the Vatican about the depth of the problem or how cases have been handled. The new pope must deal with not only the existing caseload but continued outrage from rank-and-file Catholics and ongoing revelations in parts of the world where the scandal hasn't yet emerged. Ahead of the conclave, groups of survivors and their advocates held news conferences in Rome to publicize the problem. They created online databases to call out cardinals who botched cases and demanded the Vatican finally adopt a zero-tolerance policy to bar any abuser from priestly ministry. Peter Isely of the U.S. group SNAP said it was crazy and bizarre that the church doesn't apply the same rigor to abusers that it does to establishing criteria for ordination. You can't be a married man and a priest, he said. You can't be a woman and a priest. But you can be a child molester and a priest. LGBTQ+ outreach Francis famously said, Who am I to judge? when asked in 2013 about a purportedly gay monsignor at the Vatican. Francis sought to assure gay people that God loves them as they are, that being homosexual is not a crime, and that everyone is welcome in the church. His successor must decide whether to follow in that outreach or pull back. There's plenty of support for rolling it back. In 2024, African bishops issued a continent-wide dissent from Francis' decision allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, and bishops from around the world attending his synod on the church's future backed off language explicitly accepting LGBTQ+ people. We want a united Catholic Church, but we must stay with the fundamentals, said Ndyanabo, the Ugandan lay leader. The gospel should not change at all because of our own human weakness. The Rev. James Martin, who seeks to build bridges with LGBTQ+ Catholics, knows the degree of opposition but remains hopeful. The challenge for the new pope is to continue Francis' legacy of reaching out to a group who has felt excluded from their own church, Martin said. Based on the synod, I would say that many cardinals feel that there needs to be welcome of LGBTQ+ people because they know their dioceses. But how far that goes is up in the air.
