Habemus Papam!  I never would have guessed it, much less thought that I'd see an American-born Pope!  I had heard Prevost's name bandied about even before Pope Francis' death, so I'm not too stunned, Gentle Reader, but I am surprised.  Already the Americanist "patriots" are whooping that one of their fellow nationals now sits the Throne of St. Peter.  I think they'll be quite disappointed as his pontificate unfolds.  Although born in Chicago, Pope Leo has spent most of his adult life outside of the United States, with his missionary work in Peru, then curial work in Rome.  Even before, with his parents' backgrounds in France, Italy, and Latin America, Pope Leo already would have had a wider view of things that most Americans lack.  I've already heard from one who is a fervent MAGA devotee say that it is hoped that Pope Leo will be "neutral".  There has never been any such thing as a neutral Pope.  Even the most corrupt of Popes was not ...

 6 May 2025 The Kind of Pope I Want Since the death of our late Holy Father, Pope Francis, and even before, there’s been much speculation on who will be the next Roman Pontiff.  Some of it is blatantly partisan, some of it just downright ridiculous.  Many in the West are treating it as if it were an ecclesiastical version of the secular political campaigning of presidential candidates.  Various sectors within the Church are pushing for their pet ideologies - more freedom for the traditional Latin Mass; more emphasis on the rights of the family; more action against the abuse of the vulnerable, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  Certainly these issues have importance.  However, I think that we of the West tend to ignore the issues facing the Church in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the Church is growing by leaps and bounds.  Nor can we forget that in some areas the Church is being persecuted, not just in subtle ways, but i...