Letters from Leo — the American Pope & US Politics

Letters from Leo — the American Pope & US Politics

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In the Age of Rad Trads and Groypers, Pope Leo Warns Faith Can’t Be Lived Alone
The first American pope is telling Gen Z exactly what they needed to hear: don’t let your faith languish as a solo online project languishing in…
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Christopher Hale
6
Why Two Popes Told JD Vance He Was Wrong on Christianity 101
JD Vance’s attempt at a theological gotcha became a teachable moment for the nation. He told America to look up ordo amoris; Pope Francis and Pope Leo…
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Christopher Hale
4
Vance Says Catholicism Blesses His Border Crackdown. It Doesn’t.
It’s a claim as bold as it is baseless: Vice President JDj Vance says the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown is actually in line with…
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Christopher Hale
50
The Pope of “New Things”: Leo XIII’s Legacy in Pope Leo XIV’s Vision
From Rerum Novarum to the age of artificial intelligence: Pope Leo XIV says he chose his name to carry forward Leo XIII’s mission of confronting the…
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Christopher Hale
3
Pope Leo: “Housing, Work and Land Are Sacred Rights”
Pope Leo XIV lays out a vision of a “poor Church for the poor” and declared housing, work, and land to be “sacred rights” — a moral manifesto for the…
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Christopher Hale
5

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JD Vance’s Road to Rome — and to MAGA
He once likened Trump to Hitler. Now Vance is Trump’s vice president. The Ohio conservative’s journey from “Never Trump” skeptic to MAGA firebrand…
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Christopher Hale
13
MAGA Catholics Cheer Food Stamp Cuts — Pope Leo’s Church Rallies for the Hungry
MAGA Catholic influencers are cheering the cutoff of food stamps — even as Catholic bishops, backed by Pope Leo XIV, plead for a restoration of benefits…
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Christopher Hale
85
Pope Leo: “War Is Never Holy” — Leaders Must Tear Down Walls and End Violence
Pope Leo is done watching self-described Christian leaders praise God with one breath and glorify cruelty with the next.
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Christopher Hale
6
Pope Leo Rebuked Him. Now Bishops Are Slamming Hegseth’s Wounded Knee Decision
It’s the second time in a month Hegseth’s drawn fire from the Catholic Church. This time, they say his decision glorifies genocide.
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Christopher Hale
59
Spurred by Pope Leo’s Plea, Catholics Rally Nationwide Against ICE Raids
After Pope Leo XIV urged the American Church to unite and speak out “with one voice” against the mistreatment of migrants, thousands of Catholics across…
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Christopher Hale
18
Pope Leo vs. the Empire of Lies: The Long Game to Defeat Trumpism
He’s already rebuked immigration crackdowns and blasted the “logic of exclusion” fueling rising nationalism. Now, as the youngest pope in 35 years, Leo…
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Christopher Hale
13
In Magna Carta Address, Pope Leo Calls for a Church That Washes Feet, Not Wields Power
“Let us dream of a Church that heals, not judges,” Pope Leo pleads in a sweeping homily that laid out the blueprint for his papacy.
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Christopher Hale
38
Pope Leo Elevates Chicago Cardinal Cupich After Conservative Backlash
Conservatives tried to cancel him. Pope Leo just promoted him.
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Christopher Hale
25

Pope Leo's Life & Formation

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Pope Leo vs. the Empire of Lies: The Long Game to Defeat Trumpism
He’s already rebuked immigration crackdowns and blasted the “logic of exclusion” fueling rising nationalism. Now, as the youngest pope in 35 years, Leo…
 • 
Christopher Hale
13
How Pope Leo Channels John Paul II as He Fights American Authoritarianism
The Polish pope helped bring down Communism. Now the American pope faces his own empire of lies.
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Christopher Hale
4
An African Saint Is Shaping the First American Pope
Before there was Leo XIV, there was Augustine of Hippo — the restless genius whose ideas are remaking this papacy.
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Christopher Hale
4
Pope Leo’s Chicago Circle: The Friends Who Shaped a Pope
Hours after his election, Pope Leo XIV texted three Chicago friends: “Come in.” What followed says everything about the man beneath the white cassock.
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Christopher Hale
5
The Woman Behind the Pope: How Mildred Prevost Raised a Son for the Ages
Pope Leo’s mother is brilliant, brave, and beloved — and she’s the reason we have the first American pope.
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Christopher Hale
Pope Leo's Brothers — A MAGA Florida Man. A Chicago Liberal. And The Vicar of Christ.
They grew up in the same house, but ended up in wildly different corners of the ideological map and. Now they’re back under one roof — at the Vatican.
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Christopher Hale
2
Meet the Jesuit Cardinal Behind Pope Leo’s Social Justice Revolution
From drafting Leo's first apostolic exhortation to championing migrants and the planet, Cardinal Michael Czerny is shaping the moral heart of this…
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Christopher Hale
4
Pope Leo’s Right Hand Woman: Sr. Nathalie, the Most Powerful Woman in the Catholic Church
One of Pope Leo’s top advisers is unlike any the Vatican has ever seen.
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Christopher Hale
4
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