Habemus Papam

“If we have no peace, it’s because we’ve forgotten that we belong to each other.”

~ Mother Teresa

We have a new pope!

And he was born in Chicago!

But he’s a White Sox fan.

What’s a Catholic Cubs fan to do?

Joking aside, it’s only been three days since Pope Leo XIV took up the Seat of Peter, and already people from both “sides” of the binary American political system are trying to place him into some sort of identity bucket. Either to reject him or accept him, depending on which binary bucket the observer has identified with.

Is he “woke?” Is he “right wing?”

I imagine this is in part because he’s the first American born pope, so Americans want him to fit into their narrative. The thing is, being Catholic doesn’t fit neatly within the buckets of liberal or conservative. It predates this limited political system by nearly 2000 years. America is so young compared to the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ himself, who gave the keys to His kingdom to Peter, the first leader, around 33 AD. Whether or not the man who now has taken the oaths to be our new Peter votes Democratic or Republican doesn’t really matter, for both of those terms will fade away long before Christ’s church does.

I was born and raised Catholic and twice in my life, I’ve left the Church. Once to do whatever the hell I wanted in college and again in 2009 when I began to question certain dogmas and whether or not they fit in my worldview. On some level, there is much within the Catholic faith that resonates within a social justice orientation. On the other hand, there’s much the church challenges about modern life. As such, if you’re a person who can’t come to terms with the fact that the Pope will base his identity in Christ and not in any culture war bucket, then you’re probably going to find yourself disappointed in Leo XIV.

What do I mean by that?

For example, when the Pope says we’re to help the migrant and the poor, that doesn’t make him a “liberal.” This is the FOUNDATION of Christianity. To serve the poor and vulnerable. How we best do that is up for debate, but not whether or not we center our lives on service. There is no debate there. As a Catholic, immigration is nuanced, and as someone who is also from Chicago who lives next door to a migrant shelter that opened in the summer of 2023, I know there are no easy answers here. I’m aware of the tenuous balance within a city between the needs of the extra 40,000 migrants who have passed through the system in Chicago and the fact that the faces of “Turn Chicago Red” movement are Black Chicagoans who are questioning the city’s priorities. Both groups are in need. Both groups are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet the reality is, America, or at least Chicago, hasn’t figured out the solutions that are needed to do justice in this situation.

Again, caring about this issue doesn’t make the Pope a liberal. It makes him Catholic.

Another example, if the Pope is against female clergy, that doesn’t make him “conservative.” It makes him Catholic. If you desire a female priest, there are many, many, many flavors of Christianity out there for you. The Catholic Church doesn’t need to change this, and Pope Leo XIV most likely won’t lead any big revolution here. Nor will he allow gay couples to receive the sacrament of marriage. And there’s no way he’s going to come out and approve abortion. These are key tenants to the faith. This doesn’t make him a Trumpster, or a conservative, it makes him a Catholic.

That’s the whole point. Pope Leo XIV is the leader of the Catholic faith, and he has dedicated his entire life to this faith. To hear him say he’s for the immigrants, the poor, as well as pro-family and anti-abortion is NORMAL. I’m not sure why there’s even a debate or headline about this.

I’ve recently returned to the Catholic Church. I started attending Mass again in 2022 and am now a fully registered parishioner in Chicago. I also attend Mass in Santa Cruz. My parents are delighted. All those rosaries my mother prayed for the sanctification of my soul paid off! Thanks Mom! My husband isn’t surprised; he knows I reinvent myself every ten years or so. He just goes along for the ride. My sons are skeptical. I raised them Catholic up to the year 2009, and after that we’ve only attended Christmas Eve Mass together. They’re not quite sure why I’ve returned. There are many reasons, but the biggest one is the sacrament of the Eucharist. I find it the perfect balm for my soul in the electric age and all the challenges it brings.

Besides, if I’m honest, the Catholic Church has always been there for me in each of my life phases. When I graduated from college and longed for more meaning in my life than making money, the Catholic Church down the street grounded me back into my faith. When I married and then had my first child, the church was there to guide me. When I decided to be a homemaker, the Catholic parish provided the mom’s groups and Bible study I needed to accept my new vocation as mother and wife. And when my house burned down in 2020, I picked up my Rosary and ended up back in the church once more.

This time though, I’ve decided to learn what exactly Catholics believe. This is the religion of my ancestors, and often when you’re born into the faith, you’re never really sure of the details. As a child, I was held by the liturgical year, the seasons of Christmas and Easter, the community, and the love of God. The church isn’t hiding anything; it’s just not studied too deeply. Now, I’m listening to a podcast called “The Catechism in a Year**” by Fr. Mike Schmitz and so far, I’m amazed at this rich tradition of faith. Coincidentally, we were covering the part of the Catechism about the Pope and his role just as Pope Francis died. It was quite remarkable to read what we believe about the pontiff and how he’s chosen while a new one was being chosen. This is the third pope of my lifetime, but the first one in which I’m truly paying attention. Pope John Paul II was selected in 1978, and while my family practically worshiped him because he was Polish, I was too young to remember the white smoke that day. Benedict XVI came along in 2005, and I mourned Pope John Paul II so much, I’m not sure I cared much when they selected someone new. And when he retired and they named Pope Francis in 2013, I had already left the church, and I never really got to know him.

I want to know Pope Leo XIV for who he is, not what the media and influencers and even the people around me think. Here’s the thing, if you’re not Catholic, then you’re going to try too hard to put our leader into a political bucket and it won’t stick. So don’t even bother. And if you are Catholic, then it doesn’t matter if you think he’s liberal or conservative, you shouldn’t label him either. Nor should your commitment to him be contingent on his beliefs on gay marriage or abortion or immigration and whether they gel with yours. As brothers and sisters of Christ, we are called to be in this world, but not of this world. Moreover, as The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 882 states, “For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.”

So, if you’re Catholic, this is your leader now, no matter how you vote at the ballot. Follow him. Pray for him. Ask the Holy Spirit to unite your heart with his. I’ve suggested we all unplug for years now, and I let go of all social media in January 2025 and now I’ve decided to let go of all news, podcasts (except Fr. Mike’s) and Substack as well. I don’t want my mind to be tainted anymore by the opinions of strangers paid to make me hate someone. Either I’m to hate all things American, white, hetero, and cis (basically myself) or I’m to hate those “woke libtards” (also basically myself). I don’t want the world to tell me what to think about this Pope. I want to know him for his own sake. I desire this for all those entrusted to lead us during these tumultuous times. Instead of listening to talking heads, I’m going to see what he has to say from his own mouth. In his first real address where he explains why he chose his name, I sense he’s paying attention to the same things I am, and I feel protected by him already. From today’s news:

Pope Leo XIV delivered his first official address Saturday to the College of Cardinals and emphasized the importance of the Catholic Church for humanity’s response to artificial intelligence.

The U.S.-born pontiff explained the inspiration behind his name choice and laid out his vision for his papacy as the 266th successor to St. Peter and head of the Catholic Church.

“Pope Leo XIII, with the historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum, addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution,” the Holy Father said.

“Today, the Church offers to all her treasure of social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.”

The Catholic Church teaches we are one body in Christ. Mother Teresa suggested that the reason we don’t have peace is because we’ve forgotten this.

She’s right.

Pray for us Mother Teresa, that we might remember our inheritance, our connectedness, and our divinity. And pray for Pope Leo XIV, that he will shoulder the burden of the mission of the Catholic Church, an institution founded long before the electric age, and an institution that will remain until the end of times. We are merely the blinking, or perhaps twinkling, of God’s eye, and even if we let machines eat all of us and destroy the world, His love will remain.

**For all Catholics, I highly recommend ANYTHING Fr. Mike does. He’s considered the internet’s priest and if you’ve met him, you understand why. Check out “The Catechism in a Year” here.