The first American pope steps into a fractured Catholic landscape in his home country, amid rising conservative influence and global challenges.
The surprise election of Pope Leo XIV — the first American to ascend to the papacy — has electrified Catholics in the United States and abroad. But for all the excitement surrounding his historic selection, the new pontiff inherits a deeply divided American church — one where political and theological tensions are sharper than at any point in recent memory.

Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, the new pope has long been seen as a spiritual heir to Pope Francis, whose decade-long papacy was defined by a focus on social justice, inclusion, and a global south perspective. Leo’s rise, however, comes at a moment of ascendance for a different strain of Catholicism — one aligned with the political right and increasingly influential in American public life.

In January, prominent conservative Catholics began streaming into President Trump’s Washington, where their voices are amplified by an ecosystem of right-leaning Catholic media and a court system shaped by Catholic justices. Vice President JD Vance — a Catholic convert and a leading figure in this new movement — was among the last public officials to meet with Pope Francis before his death. Their brief meeting symbolized two competing visions of Catholic engagement in the world.

Now Pope Leo, hailed for his pastoral sensitivity and global outlook, faces the immediate challenge of navigating that ideological rift — especially in his native United States.

A Fractured Flock

The American church, once considered missionary territory, is now the fourth largest Catholic population in the world. Yet it remains internally divided. While the share of Americans identifying as Catholic has held steady at around 20%, the institution has suffered lasting damage from clergy abuse scandals and the broader secularization of American life.

Simultaneously, a right-leaning Catholic resurgence has gained political traction. More than a third of Trump’s cabinet is Catholic, as are six of the nine Supreme Court justices. Their rulings have reshaped national debates over religious liberty and abortion, sometimes sparking tensions with more progressive interpretations of Catholic social teaching.

Pope Francis often found himself in conflict with this vision — most starkly in his denunciation of mass deportations under Trump. Just months before his death, he condemned the policy as a violation of human dignity in a letter to U.S. bishops. That critique extended implicitly to Vice President Vance, who had cited Catholic doctrine in defense of the crackdown.

Pope Leo’s early signals suggest he may continue that critical posture. A social media account believed to be his reposted commentary opposing the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in March, and shared articles critical of Vance’s immigration views.

“He’s clearly going to keep speaking out for justice, for peace, refugees, the poor and the hungry,” said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a veteran Vatican analyst. “If that puts him at odds with the Trump White House, so be it.”

Early Praise and Growing Scrutiny

While some right-wing Catholic media greeted Leo’s election with skepticism — LifeSiteNews published a list of “worrying things” about his record — other figures struck a more hopeful tone.

“It’s wonderful news, it’s amazing,” said Curtis Martin, founder of the American-based Catholic ministry FOCUS. Martin, who named a son after Pope Leo XIII, expressed optimism that Leo XIV would carry forward Francis’ emphasis on listening, but take the next step by engaging more directly in doctrinal teaching.

“What hasn’t happened yet is the opportunity to enter into a real dialogue,” he said. “I think Pope Leo might be able to lead that.”

Leo’s American identity is both a strength and a potential challenge. He is “an American with a global perspective,” said Father John Dowd. Though born in Chicago, Leo has spent most of his priesthood abroad, serving in Peru and Rome. As such, his leadership may avoid the kind of U.S.-centric controversies that dogged previous church debates, even as his nationality remains a symbolic milestone.

“Certainly, we rejoice that a son of this nation has been chosen,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “but we recognize that he now belongs to all Catholics and to all people of good will.”

A Sign of Maturity for the American Church

For many Catholics, Leo’s election is a sign that the American church has come of age.

“The U.S. is approaching its 250th birthday,” said Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. “But the Catholic Church claims an age about 1,750 years older.”

Daniels called the election “an extraordinary gift” and a signal of the church’s growing global interconnectedness. Until the 20th century, she noted, the U.S. was still officially considered mission territory.

Despite the divisions he now faces, Pope Leo enters office at a moment of profound significance — not just for American Catholics, but for a church grappling with its future in a polarized, post-pandemic world. Whether he chooses confrontation or quiet persuasion in the face of U.S. political conservatism may define not only his papacy, but the role of American Catholicism in the decades to come.