POPE LEO

President Trump Will Be Pleased With Pope Leo XIV’s New Agenda

But it’s shaken some Catholics' faith in the future of the Church

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It’s official, Pope Leo XIV, who views himself as a centrist, is honoring all the traditional conservative Catholic teachings on LGBTQ, abortion, and women’s place in the church.

Unlike his more progressive predecessor, Pope Francis, the new leader of the Catholic Church, focuses on unity and peace and does not break the tradition of the church’s foundational values.

The new leader of the 53 million American Catholics () has shared his agenda with the world. Some progressive Catholic leaders and followers are split about the Pope’s return to stricter teachings.

Enlarging the church, but only in certain ways

At a 2023 Vatican news conference, , “Our work is to enlarge the tent and to let everyone know they are welcome inside the church.” In an interview the following year, he echoed Francis’ view that a bishop is “called to serve.”

The then-cardinal in 2024. “The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to…