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.

Dear friends —

Happy Saturday! Today, I’m launching a two-part series exploring what Pope St. John Paul II can teach Pope Leo XIV as he serves as the world’s leading moral bulwark against creeping authoritarian tendencies — both here at home and abroad.

John Paul II knew this fight well. As a Polish pope behind the Iron Curtain, he confronted the Soviet regime head-on, consistently and persistently, for thirteen years until it finally fell in 1991.

Today’s essay focuses on the lessons of John Paul II. Tomorrow’s will examine what Pope Leo has already done — and what he can do in the months and years ahead — to defend human dignity and defeat what Benedict XVI rightly called the “dictatorship of relativism.”

These two essays took a tremendous amount of time to research and write, so they’re available exclusively for paid subscribers. By subscribing, you’ll also gain full access to my ongoing Pope Leo’s Life and Formation series. Here’s a full archive for you to explore.

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Thank you for reading! I’ll see you on the road.

In 1979, a newly elected pope landed on the tarmac in Warsaw, knelt, and kissed the ground of his Polish homeland. This simple act by John Paul II set in motion a clash of titanic forces: the Gospel of freedom and truth versus the might of an authoritarian empire.

Four decades later, another pope — Leo XIV, history’s first American pontiff — finds himself in a very different arena, squaring off against a democratic society flirting with authoritarian politics. Two popes, two very different empires, yet one unchanging Gospel.

This is a story of courage and conscience: how the Catholic faith, in two pivotal moments, can stand as a bulwark against tyranny.

John Paul II: Witness in the Polish Shipyards

It was near this spot that Pope John Paul II delivered an electrifying Mass in June 1987. Over a million Poles gathered at the Gdańsk shipyards and erupted into chants of “Solidarity! Solidarity!” as the Polish-born pope preached.

The communist authorities ringed the crowds with armed police, yet John Paul II’s words pierced the iron grip of fear. He spoke of a worker’s God-given rights — including the right to form free unions — directly challenging the Soviet-backed regime.