Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost’s ascension to the papacy marks an extraordinary moment for American leadership on the world stage at a time when President Trump has transformed the country’s reputation abroad and fueled distrust among longtime allies.
But while two Americans now sit in positions of enormous global influence, Pope Leo XIV may offer the world a different view of U.S. values from Mr. Trump’s America First approach, which he has executed through stiff tariffs, imperialist musings and vast cuts to foreign aid.
When he was introduced to the world, the new pope — who speaks five languages and is a naturalized citizen of Peru — emphasized his pluralistic background, making a point of speaking in Italian (representing his new constituency) and Spanish (his old one). He spoke no English and made no reference to the United States, even as some Catholics in St. Peter’s Square excitedly waved U.S. flags. (On Friday, he spoke briefly in English when he delivered his first homily.)
There are indications that the first American pontiff disapproves of some of the Trump administration’s hard-line stances. A social media account under his name has reposted messages critical of the president’s positions on issues including immigration, gun control and climate change. In February, the account shared a link to an article in The National Catholic Reporter titled “JD Vance Is Wrong: Jesus Doesn’t Ask Us to Rank Our Love for Others.”
“We have this powerful moral voice that is going to be able to potentially confront the other most powerful American voice,” said Charlie Sykes, an anti-Trump conservative who is Catholic. “Donald Trump bestrides the world as the ugly American, and now we have another prominent American who is able to confront him.”
Mr. Sykes said Pope Leo’s advocacy on behalf of migrants, in particular, could challenge Mr. Trump, who has pursued an aggressive campaign to deport them as quickly as possible.
“Part of Donald Trump’s appeal is that he is the great champion of Christendom and now he’s going to have to explain that to a fellow American who is the pope,” Mr. Sykes said. “There are very few, if any, figures that have the platform and the voice of the Holy See.”
John Prevost, the pope’s brother, told The New York Times in an interview that he did not think his brother would shy away from voicing his disagreements with the president.
“I know he’s not happy with what’s going on with immigration,” he said. “I know that for a fact. How far he’ll go with it is only one’s guess, but he won’t just sit back. I don’t think he’ll be the silent one.”
Still, Vatican analysts say Pope Leo is more reserved than his predecessor, and while they expect him to continue to defend migrants and the poor, some do not expect him to do so in as outspoken a manner as Pope Francis.
Mr. Trump and his supporters have also found aspects of the new pope’s background that excite them, including his ardent anti-abortion advocacy and his opposition to a government plan in Peru to add teachings on gender in schools.
“He’s said and done some mixed things in the past,” said John Yep, the chief executive of Catholics for Catholics, a group that supports Mr. Trump. “Let’s see how he does. I don’t want to rush to judgments right off the bat.”
In the hours since Pope Leo’s selection, the president has had only praise for the church’s new leader. Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance both congratulated him in posts on social media and celebrated his American heritage.
“The president made his reaction to Pope Leo’s announcement yesterday very clear,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Friday when asked about the pope’s comments. “He’s very proud to have an American pope.”
It is unclear if either Mr. Trump or Mr. Vance had been aware of Pope Leo’s criticism of their policies, but some of the president’s most strident supporters have already registered their displeasure.
“He is anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis,” Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who has persuaded Mr. Trump to fire some of his aides for not being loyal enough, wrote on X. “Catholics don’t have anything good to look forward to. Just another Marxist puppet in the Vatican.”
Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker and a devout Catholic, praised Pope Leo’s commitment to the poor and said she hoped he could unite American Catholics across partisan divides.
“His values-based vision for the church is quite different from what we’re seeing from some leaders, if you call them that, in our country, but I don’t expect him to be engaged in a political debate with the president of the United States,” she said in an interview.
Even though Pope Leo is an American by birth, he has spent most of his adult life outside the country, and now as the head of state of another nation, it remains to be seen what relationship he will have with the United States. Pope Francis, who hailed from Argentina, never returned to his place of birth after becoming the church’s leader.
American cardinals said at a news conference on Friday that Pope Leo’s American identity was not a factor in his selection. When he was announced, the Vatican made no mention of his U.S. nationality, instead introducing him as the second pope from the Americas.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., said the conclave was not seen as a “continuation of the American election.”
“It wasn’t an election conclave,” he said. “It was a desire to strengthen the Christian faith among God’s people.”
Joe Donnelly, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See during the Biden administration, said Pope Leo’s selection transcended any nationality, but would also serve to demonstrate American values on the world stage.
“I think Pope Leo will be a wonderful reflection of America, of Chicago and all of our hardworking people,” Mr. Donnelly said. “He is a prototype of the American success story, working hard, studying hard and being kind to others.”
The cardinals’ selection of an American pope defied the prevailing belief that the church would not choose a leader from the global superpower. In the days leading up to the conclave, Catholic commentators speculated that Mr. Trump’s disruption of the global political and economic order made a U.S.-born pope even more unlikely.
Indeed, some spectators gathered in St Peter’s Square on Thursday were bewildered when his identity emerged.
“Un Americano?” several muttered in Italian.
“I am surprised and disappointed,” said Adam Mocarski, 31, from Poland.
The immediate disillusion was not directed at the new pope himself, but appeared to reflect how much Mr. Trump has roiled international sentiment toward America.
“Trump wants to divide,” said Francesca Elicio, 29, a theater producer from Rome. “Trump has a negative effect not just on America, but on other countries. Perhaps the idea was to have an intermediary who can save not just the church, but the whole world.”
Some analysts have posited that the cardinals selected Pope Leo precisely because of Mr. Trump. The president agitated many Catholics, even some of his allies, when he posted an A.I.-generated image of himself dressed as the pope after Pope Francis died.
“The president might well be right to claim credit for the selection, at least in part, given the photo he posted on social media,” said Rocco Palmo, a Catholic church analyst. “The choice of Leo is the cardinals’ way of saying, ‘This is our process and we decide what is Catholic, not the White House.’”
Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Elizabeth Dias contributed reporting from Vatican City.
