<
https://religionnews.com/2025/06/06/why-maga-christianity-should-fear-the-new-pope/>
"The election of Pope Leo XIV has felt like a balm, as the Chicago native who
spent decades in Peru has revealed himself as a leader with a modern globalist
perspective, rooted in dignity, solidarity and mercy. The warm reception he’s
received from Catholics and non-Catholics alike shows how much his outlook is
needed.
There is one group that’s not so enthusiastic. “This is all a very calculated
move,” warned Sean Feucht, a Christian nationalist influencer in the Trump
orbit. “They chose a globalist and woke Pope from the West ON PURPOSE to stand
up and criticize the leaders of the Free World.”
Fringe-right commentator Laura Loomer, who has advised President Trump on
national security appointments, called Leo a “WOKE MARXIST POPE” and “a Marxist
puppet in the Vatican.”
Why such fury? It’s not because Leo espouses liberal theological views — he
doesn’t. He holds traditional Catholic positions on sexuality and abortion and
prefers the liturgical formalism many conservatives favor. Leo has become a
MAGA flashpoint not due to any dramatic break from Catholic doctrine, but
because his worldview directly threatens the Christian nationalist engine
behind the rising authoritarianism of our time. He threatens to become a
transnational counterweight to a rapidly expanding authoritarian religious
network.
Before the conclave, as Cardinal Robert Prevost, Leo retweeted a post
criticizing U.S. President Trump and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for
mocking immigrants being deported from the U.S. to Bukele’s jails. The future
pope also challenged Vice President JD Vance’s “ordo amoris” argument that
Christians should prioritize their own nation over global needs. “Jesus doesn’t
ask us to rank our love for others,” the cardinal tweeted.
This was no minor theological dustup over the proper “order of love” Christians
should obey. It was a direct rebuttal to the ideological foundation of
Christian nationalism: that faith should serve state nativist power and
preserve national sovereignty at the expense of human rights."
Via Joyce Donahue.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
