Robert Francis Prevost – now Leo XIV – is the 267th pope, but he’s the first from the United States (also the first Augustinian) and only the second from the Western Hemisphere. That fact alone makes his selection a historic first and indicates at least some level of change in the Church. But how far will that change extend? What can the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics expect from their new pontiff?
With the conclave ending just a few days ago on May 8, the new pope’s reign has barely begun, and he has yet to weigh in on many matters of import. But prior to his election, Prevost, like many others, spread his political views online through social media. Some are quite old; others are fresh. While his pre-papal postings are far from official policy, they still provide a glimpse of the man who became pope this week and where he stands on the issues.
What’s in a Name?
Leo is the fourth most popular name for a pope, behind John, Gregory, and Benedict. The very first to choose the name served as pontiff between 440 and 461. He was the 45th pope, and he became known for his commitment to peace. The last to carry the name, Leo XIII, served as the 256th pope from 1878 to 1903. His 1891 Rerum Novarum focused on the rights of workers to decent wages, fair working conditions, and the ability to organize into unions. He also affirmed the right to property and free enterprise, saying of communism that it would “rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community.”
This is the legacy embraced by Cardinal Robert Prevost when he became Pope Leo XIV. His very first words uttered publicly (translated into English) were: “Peace be with all of you! Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God’s flock. I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, and all people, wherever they are, all of the people, all over the earth. Peace be with you!”
He is also a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, a religious order founded in 1244 dedicated to the teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo and known for communal living, poverty, and service to others. Prevost began his ministry as a missionary in Peru, and, like many other Augustinians, he served impoverished communities.
Pope Leo XIV on the Issues
Based on his political posts on social media, Prevost hasn’t been what one might call a MAGA enthusiast. In 2015, he tweeted about how then-candidate Donald Trump’s “anti-immigration rhetoric” was “so problematic.” Prevost hasn’t wavered from that stance. More recently, he has criticized the Trump administration’s deportation policy multiple times on X in 2025.
Prevost retweeted Sen. Chris Murphy’s (D-CT) criticism of Republicans after the 2017 mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas, seemingly putting him on the side of Democrats and strict gun control. “To my colleagues: your cowardice to act cannot be whitewashed by thoughts and prayers,” Murphy wrote. “None of this ends unless we do something to stop it.”
Also in 2017, after the Charlottesville rally, Prevost retweeted the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ condemnation of “the abhorrent acts of hatred.” In 2020, he retweeted prayers for George Floyd and his family and called for more leaders in the church to “reject racism and seek justice.” Prevost championed the Catholic Climate Petition as well, which endorses the progressive climate change narrative.
Still, Prevost was no progressive leftist, either. He has remained orthodox on several church views, including by opposing the ordination of women. He expressed concern in 2012 that Western culture promotes “enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel,” referring specifically to abortion, the “homosexual lifestyle,” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.” In 2013, he retweeted a meme that displayed the word “ABORTION” with the B and R crossed out and replaced by D and P to make it adoption.
He also affirms the scientific and scriptural stance that there are only two genders. “The idea of promoting gender ideology is confusing because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist,” Prevost once told Diario Correo, a Peruvian newspaper. “So God created man and woman, and the attempt to confuse ideas from nature will only harm families and people.” He went on to say that talking “about matters of identity and sexual orientation with a child who hasn’t yet reached a sufficient age of development will create much confusion.”
With that mix of views, it’s no surprise that the most extreme on either end of the political spectrum might view him as being firmly in the opposite camp. Many American conservatives won’t like his stance on immigration and border security, much less his endorsement of the climate change narrative. That said, his views on gender, sexuality, abortion, and family structure certainly don’t sit well with the left.
Still, while he’s likely to face various labels in the near future, the most accurate assessment seems to be that, politically, he’s much like his predecessor. Maybe that makes him something of a centrist, or moderate – though that particular label can be misleading if it implies either man held the middle ground in any given issue. Ultimately, in the question of whether Pope Leo XIV is a leftist or conservative, perhaps the answer isn’t either or neither (a moderate) – but both.
