Three Months In, Pope Leo Is Proving to Be America’s Greatest Export

While the American president divides, the American pontiff unites — at home and on the world stage.

For much of this year, Americans have been consumed by debates over tariffs and trade —headlines blaring about trade wars, export battles, and economic brinkmanship.

Our national attention was fixed on what goods we send out into the world and what we protect at home.

Yet during that same turbulent period — through the death of Pope Francis, the interregnum, and a conclave in Rome — something remarkable happened: an American became the pope.

On May 8, 2025, a quiet cardinal from Chicago stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as Pope Leo XIV, making history as the first American pontiff.

Now, on his three-month anniversary, it’s worth pausing to consider what his young pontificate means for America’s place in the world.

Without rehashing all the era’s divisiveness, it’s fair to say America’s recent image has often been tied to loud, combative nationalism and a cult of personality in politics.

For a world exhausted by mercurial, attention-consuming leadership, how poetic that as we turn the page, the global spotlight shifts to an American known for quiet service and spiritual depth.

Pope Leo’s rise doesn’t erase our nation’s struggles, but it does offer a new narrative of what American leadership can mean.

In fact, his election marked a cultural watershed: in a society that often equates influence with power, money, or celebrity, our foremost global representative is now a humble man in a white cassock, preaching love, justice, and mercy.

In just three months, Pope Leo has shown the world a different side of American influence. He has spoken repeatedly about ending war and eradicating poverty, urging idealism over cynicism.

From his first days, he even offered the Vatican as a place of dialogue to seek peace in the Russia–Ukraine conflict — exporting American moral leadership in pursuit of reconciliation rather than domination.

Some argue that the cardinals may have intended such a counterpoint to the “America First” ethos back home, so they embraced an American who “isn’t about America First, but humanity first.”

Whether or not that’s true, this gentle, servant leadership — prioritizing the poor, welcoming immigrants, dialoguing with opponents — stands as an antidote to the zero-sum swagger we’d grown accustomed to.

As an American, I find it moving that the most influential American on the global stage today might not be a president, billionaire, or celebrity, but a priest with vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

It suggests that America’s greatest export might not be our entertainment or weaponry, but our capacity for idealism and moral vision.

In Pope Leo XIV’s humble yet bold ministry, the world glimpses the best of what America can offer — not just our products or power, but our principles. And in a time of tariff wars and factional strife, that is an export story worth celebrating.

That’s exactly what we’re doing here at Letters from Leo.

I believe that stories about moral courage can be a healing balm to the authoritarianism that’s plaguing our nation and the world.

It truly means the world to me that you’re a reader. If you’ve found value in this publication, please consider supporting my work in one of these ways:

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Most of all, if you’re someone who prays, I humbly ask for your prayers.

Your friendship, prayers, and good wishes are the greatest gifts you can offer me.

And as we press forward together, let’s work with Leo to write America’s next chapter where no one is unheard, unseen, and unloved

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