The new leader of the Catholic Church hails from the United States — and MAGA is elated. This detail is not lost on those familiar with Pope Leo XIV when he was still Robert Francis Prevost.
While the new pope, known for supporting science and giving communion to divorced people, questioned Vice President JD Vance after a statement that people who care for others only after their own family is taken care of.
Prevost responded, saying that Jesus "doesn't ask us to rank our love for others."
Writing an op-ed for the National Catholic Reporter, he said, "The point wasn't about setting limits on love. It was about breaking them down — taking the gospel beyond familiar spaces and into contested ones. If anything, those of us in the United States are the ends of the earth, unimaginable to the earliest Christians. And yet, the gospel has already reached us. The real question is not whether love begins at home. It's what we do with it — how far we are willing to change ourselves and the world around us."
Prevost also retweeted an April 14 post by Philadelphia-based Catholic writer Rocco Palmo, who castigated Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele after their White House meeting to discuss migrant deportations, including the plight of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a legal U.S. resident mistakenly sent to the notorious CECOT prison.
Former Ambassador to the Holy See, Miguel Diaz, described the new Pope Leo XIV as being a "moderate voice." He told MSNBC that he anticipates the pope will "create the spaces" for debate on issues like elevating women in the church and same-sex marriage.
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Many pro-Trump and MAGA members seemed more focused on the fact that the pope is an American, ignoring his support of a more Pope Francis-style agenda.
Republican Steve Cortes posted a photo of the new pope, calling on others, "Pray for our new Pope! An American."
After not saying anything on X since May 3, former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) posted just after the announcement, "We've entered the Golden Age of America."
"Pope Leo XIV — the first American pope in history!" cheered Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).
Conservative former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, similarly said, "Praying for my Catholic friends & extending high hopes for their new leader. God's blessing on Pope Leo XIV!"
Such responses led to some mockery of those celebrating conservatives.
Former official Chris D. Jackson saw the celebration and commented, "It’s hilarious watching MAGA cheer the new Pope—completely unaware he’s on record trashing both Trump and J.D. Vance. Peak 'we didn’t read the article, we just liked the headline' energy."
Other MAGA acolytes appeared to read beyond the headline.
Laura Loomer was one of few in the MAGA world who saw that Pope Leo XIV was supportive of immigrants. She called it "gross."
She also called him a "MARXIST POPE!" finding a tweet from the now-pope showing his support of praying for George Floyd.
Conservative Charlie Kirk said that he found voting records showing that the new pope was a registered Republican and voted in GOP primaries.
However, a fact-check quickly came from Henry Olsen of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, saying, "Illinois has no party registration. This merely means he cast a Republican ballot in the last party primary."