The Catholic Church just elected its first American Pope in history.
But President Trump might not be celebrating this historic moment for long.
And Pope Leo XIV’s past social media activity has conservatives raising eyebrows over his surprising views.
The Vatican’s newest leader has a shocking history of reposting liberal messages
Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope on Thursday, taking the name Leo XIV and making history as the first American to ever lead the Catholic Church.
While many American Catholics initially celebrated this milestone, a deeper look into Leo XIV’s social media history reveals political views that align far more with Kamala Harris than Donald Trump.
The 76-year-old Pope spent most of his career in Peru before ascending to the papacy, but his social media trail suggests he’ll likely clash with President Trump’s administration on several key issues.
From immigration to gun control, Leo XIV has left digital breadcrumbs showing where he stands – and conservatives won’t like what they see.
“Perhaps most concerning is Leo XIV’s stance toward immigration, as he appears to be in favor of open borders and has reposted anti-border control messages in the past,” The Federalist reported in their analysis of the new Pope’s background.
Pope Leo XIV has a long history of supporting illegal immigration
Immigration policies appear to be where Pope Leo XIV and President Trump will face their most significant clashes.
The new pope previously reposted multiple messages attacking Trump’s immigration policies, including one from September 2017 that shared negative reactions from American Cardinals who called Trump’s DACA decision “heartless,” a “betrayal,” and “profoundly regrettable.”
Leo XIV also reshared a post stating: “Saying Trump’s ‘bad hombres’ line fuels ‘racism and nativism,’ Cali bishops send preemptive blast on DACA repeal.”
In another alarming sign for conservatives, the Pope reshared a message declaring: “I stand with #Dreamers and all people who are working toward an immigration system that is fair, just, and moral. #DefendDACA #DACA.”
Perhaps most concerning for the Trump administration, Leo XIV reposted a message from Cardinal Cupich saying: “There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all.”
As recently as this year, he shared articles criticizing Vice President J.D. Vance’s immigration stance and reshared a post mocking a Trump meeting with El Salvador’s President Bukele about deportation.
The Pope’s views on guns, climate, and George Floyd align with the Left
Immigration isn’t the only area where the new Pope has shown leftist tendencies.
Following George Floyd’s death in 2020, then-Cardinal Prevost shared messages condemning racism and calling for justice. He personally posted: “We need to hear more from leaders in the Church to reject racism and seek justice.”
On gun control, Leo XIV reshared anti-gun rhetoric from Democrat Senator Chris Murphy, who claimed Congressional “cowardice to act cannot be whitewashed by thoughts and prayers.”
The Pope also appears aligned with climate alarmists, resharing articles critical of Trump’s environmental policies and expressing concern that the U.S. wouldn’t meet carbon emission goals.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he promoted universal vaccination, resharing messages calling for “vaccines available for all” and characterizing vaccination as “an act of love.”
Some conservatives remain optimistic despite concerning signs
Despite these worrying signals, some conservative Catholics remain cautiously optimistic about the new Pope.
The Catholic Association released a statement noting that Leo XIV “will be scrutinized as much by how he upholds the Church’s social teachings as his ability to govern a church that remains sorely in need of good governance.”
The group highlighted that he “takes his name from a pope who stood firmly against the negative culture of moral relativism” and noted his background as a canon lawyer could help bring “greatly needed doctrinal and moral clarity.”
Conservative analyst John Daniel Davidson pointed out that Leo XIV appears “more conservative” than Trump on same-sex marriage and abortion issues, suggesting the Pope might not be completely aligned with left-wing ideology.
Catholic legal expert Adrian Vermeule threw cold water on all the hand-wringing over the new Pope’s old tweets.
“I repeat that the future is far more unpredictable than the commentators (on all sides) ever realize,” Vermeule wrote. “His Holiness Leo XIV will have a long papacy. Today’s issues, or yesterday’s tweets, are not tomorrow’s.”
While Pope Francis was often dismissed by American conservatives as a foreign figure whose views could be ignored, having an American Pope with similar left-leaning tendencies may prove more challenging for the Trump administration and conservative Catholics to navigate.
The coming months will reveal whether Leo XIV’s past social media activity reflects how he’ll lead the Catholic Church and whether he’ll become a vocal critic of Trump’s second-term agenda.
