Writer Rod Dreher, Louisiana native and editor-at-large with The American Conservative, felt the heat on social media after calling the new pope by a controversial Cajun name that some consider offensive.
The post came after a report in The New York Times described Pope Leo XIV's roots as "Black Cajun" from New Orleans.
Dreher posted to his 120,000 followers on X Friday, "With a name like 'Prevost' and New Orleans roots, I thought the new pope might be a coona--. Turns out his mama has New Orleans roots -- and he's part black (Creole)! From da 7th Ward."
One person remarked, "Coona--…? wtf..," to which Dreher replied, "Tell me that you're not from Louisiana without saying you're not from Louisiana."
Another posted, "You might be the world’s foremost authority at using obscure racial slurs and I don’t mean that as a compliment."
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"What the hell is wrong with you," posted yet another, while one poster wrote, "Now is an excellent time to delete this post."
According to an article in The World, people of Cajun descent are divided over use of the word.
Lafayette attorney Warren Perrin, who served as president of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, said "pride in your roots and the word 'coona--' don’t go together," according to the article.
Perrin's "movement won a big victory back in 1981 when it got the Louisiana State Legislature to condemn the word as offensive," the article said. "Legislators not only condemned it, they outlined the word’s etymology" as coming from the French word connasse, which means "dirty wh--- or stupid person."
Still, others have embraced the term, much like the LGBTQ+ community has embraced the term "queer."
One Louisianan told the publication, "If it was meant being ugly when it first came out, it’s not ugly now,” Sonnier says. “Not unless you look at it that way, and some people may. I just don’t.”