Who is the new Pope?

Nathan Stanish

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B.A. in Religion & Journalism, Hillsdale College (Graduated 2025) Updated Sun

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Who is the new Pope?

Bishop Robert Barron, one of the better-known Catholic figures in America, recently quoted a mentor about the prospect of an American pope:

“Cardinal George of Chicago, of happy memory, was one of my great mentors, and he said: 'Look, until America goes into political decline, there won't be an American pope.'” — Barron

[1]

I guess we’ve finally confirmed that America has gone into political decline.

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Per today’s announcement, the new head of the Catholic Church is Pope Leo XIV (formerly Robert Prevost), the first American ever to assume the papacy.

Leo is a Peruvian-American, born in Chicago but holding dual citizenship after a decade of ministry in Peru during the 80s. He speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and reads Latin and German. At 69, he’s several years younger than the previous two popes (78 & 76) upon entering office.

Of course, we can only speculate the shape of his papacy, but there are several encouraging signs from his past ministry — and one notable blight — that I’ll mention:

1. On Twitter, Leo retweeted a post condemning Republicans for inaction on school shootings
   [2]
    and Catholic responses to George Floyd and systemic racism. He’s also supported Francis’ stance on immigration and retweeted criticisms of Trump’s deportations.
2. More importantly, Leo himself corrected JD Vance’s ridiculous interpretation of Catholic theology, saying, “Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
   [3]
3. Unfortunately, in the early 2000s it seems Leo may have dealt too leniently with a priest credibly accused of sex abuse of minors. That was decades ago, and I hope that his stance has harshened on pedophiles in the church.
4. He appears to be a Chicago White Sox fan. This is unforgivable.

I hope that as pope, Leo does not back down from holding the US accountable. He’s done it in the past, and now’s the best time to keep condemning the evils of the current administration. Every Republican Catholic ought to be in a moral quandary until we see proper Christian ethics from the self-proclaimed Catholic Vice President Vance. Ditto for Trump, who loves to claim Christianity.

But his real concern should be Ukraine and Gaza. Francis never visited Ukraine in the spirit of ecumenism toward the Russian Orthodox, and this was a mark on his legacy as pope. We need compassion and firmness toward Russia, as well as furthered attempts at peace in Gaza. Some may balk at the pope getting “political” or acting as an ambassador, but considering the latest Ukraine-US deal happened after a meeting in the Vatican…it seems like we need the church to be political.

Pray for our new pope. I look forward to seeing what he does.

Footnotes

[1] 

A first U.S. pope: Cardinal Robert Prevost chosen as successor to Pope Francis

[2] 

Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) on X

[3] 

Robert Prevost (@drprevost) on X

What is the story behind the new Pope?

Jean-Marie Valheur

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What is the story behind the new Pope?

He’s a Chicago born man with some family roots in New Orleans. He’s of mixed ethnic background — his Creole mother has black ancestry as well as white ancestry. Robert Prevost was “too holy” as a child, according to his brother. His family joked with him that he’d become a priest. They even said “if you’re not careful, you’ll end up pope!”

Only Prevost wasn’t joking — he very much wanted to be a priest, and he was driven by higher aspirations. He also learned to speak several languages fluently in early life, and after becoming a priest, asked to be transferred to Latin America. There, he served in poor communities in Peru for decades before climbing up the church hierarchy. On a personal level, Prevost was a handsome chap, loved to sing and he was quite a good dancer. He was, and is, a sports fan, particularly fond of baseball and American football.

He truly worked his way up the ladder — as a young priest, he enjoyed serving distant communities in Peru and would travel there on horseback. He is an excellent horseman, and quite fond of animals. Prevost, or Leo XIV as he is now known, is a humble man and not the sort of man afraid of rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty…

Before he became Leo XIV, Robert Prevost was an ambitious and intelligent priest with a heart for the poor and downtrodden. I fully expect that he’ll continue on the same path as pope. He’s the sort of man who could have been anything he wanted, the class leader with the highest grades in school, popular, friendly, well-liked by all… but instead of going into politics he gave up on all earthly pleasures to join the priesthood instead. 

Do you agree that there is a natural limit to human lifespan? Why or why not?

Karl Jansson

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Do you agree that there is a natural limit to human lifespan? Why or why not?

Yes, there is a limit to the lifespan of a human. The reason is that after a human has procreated and raised children, and helped taken care of grandchildren a bit, the human is no longer affecting the outcome of its genes. The human is then no longer taking part of evolution, so there is no selection pressure to keep the human alive any longer. All cells and functions in the body slowly deteriorates and stop functioning until the system fails, and the human dies, unless it die from a disease.

There are many different mechanisms that fail. Cells stop dividing and become senescent zombie cells, DNA errors increase with time, mitochondria becomes less efficient, brain cells dies, hormone levels drop making muscles weak and bone brittle, teeth wear out. Basically every subsystem goes bad.

There might even be an evolutionary reason to not keep us alive too long. If we live too long in the wild, we would compete with our children and their children for resources, without contributing much. If that happened, there would be an evolutionary pressure to limit the lifespan.

The natural life span of a human is individual, but it’s estimated that 120 years is close to the limit.

Below is Jeanne Calment turning 120, but lived to 122 years and 164 days, the oldest recorded human in history.

Bearing Fruit for the Kingdom

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle Readings for Today

Robert van den Hoecke, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Video “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” John 15:16 After Judas betrayed our Lord, the Apostles gathered together to pick someone to succeed him. They decided it should be someone who had been with them from the beginning. They prayed for guidance and cast lots “and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles” (Acts 1:26). Little is known about the ministry of Saint Matthias. Being chosen as one of the Twelve makes him a bishop of the early Church. Various traditions state that he preached in the territory of either modern-day Ethiopia, Turkey or Georgia—perhaps all of these territories. He is thought to have been killed for his faith, either by stoning or by beheading or both, which is why he is today honored as a martyr. As we honor Saint Matthias, we honor more than just a man who became an Apostle and preached the Gospel with His life, we also honor the divine plan by which God has chosen to use weak and humble instruments to further His Kingdom. The Gospel passage above certainly applies to Saint Matthias, as well as to all of us to one extent or another. It was God who “chose” Saint Matthias, as well as each and every one of us, for the purpose of going forth to “bear fruit that will remain.” But this form of good fruit, the fruit that has eternal consequences, can only be produced when we ask for it from the Father in the name of His Son Jesus. Asking the Father to produce good fruit through us in the name of Jesus His Son does not mean that we get to choose what we ask of the Father. Rather, asking “in Jesus’ name” must be understood to mean that we ask the Father only what the Son has asked. We choose to share in the one eternal prayer of the Son that the will of the Father be fulfilled. And in praying this way, we commit ourselves to unity with His holy will. Sometimes we can all find ourselves asking God for this favor or that. We can place before Him our preference and our will. But if we want to be used by God, to become an instrument of His grace so as to bear an abundance of good fruit, then we must humbly set aside our own will and allow God to be the one Who chooses our mission and appoints us to His holy task. Detachment from our own will and humble submission to the will of God is the only way to bring forth God’s Kingdom. Reflect, today, upon God's choice to call you to share in His divine mission. How He calls is up to God, but you can be certain that He does call you and invites you to share in His mission. Be open to any way that God appoints you to bear good fruit and humbly seek to conform your will to the Father’s plan as you pray in Jesus’ holy name. Lord Jesus, You have perfectly fulfilled the will of the Father in all things, and You have chosen me and appointed me to share in Your divine mission. Help me to open my mind and will to all that You call me to do, so that I, too, may be an instrument of the Kingdom of Your Father in Heaven. I make this prayer in Your most holy name. Jesus, I trust in You.

What did cardinal Robert Francis Prevost do to become Pope?

Jean-Marie Valheur

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no stranger to religion Thu

What did cardinal Robert Francis Prevost do to become Pope?

There are at least two known instances of Robert Francis Prevost looking away or even protecting perpetrators of sexual abuse within the church, prior to his 2025 election to the papacy. In 2000, he allowed Father James Ray, an accused molester of minors, to reside on church grounds. And in 2022, two victims of a 2007 abuse case by a priest came to him — the two young women, abused by a priest, later stated Prevost never opened a case or investigated the matter despite saying he would.[1]

What does this tell us about Pope Leo XIV, as Prevost is now known? I say, it’s quite telling. It tells us that he is a man who knew how to “play the game” within the church — the fine art of looking the other way when abuse comes up has been a part of internal Vatican policies since times immemorial. Yes, Prevost is well-spoken. And he has the right mixture of respect for tradition and adherence to some of the more progressive standpoints Pope Francis held dear, such as his support for the poor and his advocacy for immigrants.

A more cynical part of me, however, feels that Pope Leo XIV may be a very different creature to Pope Francis. A man more calculating, more careful not to offend, and someone who cares for the downtrodden but not so much if they accuse a fellow priest, in which case he is willing to look the other way… and yes, historically speaking, the Catholic Church has rewarded such men for their loyalty.

Footnotes

[1] 

Cardinal Prevost never investigated abuse claims, alleged victims say

Learning the Language of God

May 13, 2025 Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Readings for Today Our Lady of Fatima—Optional Memorial

James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Video Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.”  John 10:24–25 Why is it that these people did not know that Jesus was the Christ? They wanted Jesus to speak “plainly” to them, but Jesus surprises them by saying that He already answered their question but they “do not believe.” This Gospel passage continues the beautiful teaching about Jesus being the Good Shepherd. It’s interesting that these people want Jesus to speak plainly about whether or not He is the Christ, but instead, Jesus speaks plainly about the fact that they do not believe in Him because they are not listening. They have missed what He has said and are left in confusion. One thing this tells us is that God speaks to us in His own way, not necessarily in the way we would like Him to speak. He speaks a mystical, profound, gentle and hidden language. He reveals His deepest mysteries only to those who have come to learn His language. But to those who do not understand God’s language, confusion sets in. If you ever find yourself confused in life, or confused about the plan God has for you, then perhaps it’s time to examine how carefully you listen to the way God speaks. We could beg God, day and night, to “speak plainly” to us, but He will only speak in the way He has always spoken. And what is that language? On the deepest level, it’s the language of infused prayer. Prayer, of course, is different than only saying prayers. Prayer is ultimately a relationship of love with God. It’s a communication on the deepest level. Prayer is an act of God within our soul by which God invites us to believe in Him, to follow Him, and to love Him. This invitation is continually offered to us, but too often we fail to hear it because we fail to truly pray. Much of John’s Gospel, including Chapter Ten from which we are reading today, speaks in a mystical way. It’s not possible to simply read it like a novel and comprehend all that Jesus says with one read. Jesus’ teaching must be heard in your soul, prayerfully, pondered, and heard. This approach will open the ears of your heart to the certitude of the voice of God. Reflect, today, upon the mysterious ways in which God communicates to you. If you do not understand how He speaks, then that is a good starting point. Spend time with this Gospel, prayerfully pondering it. Meditate upon Jesus’ words, listening for His voice. Learn His language through silent prayer and allow His holy words to draw you to Himself. My mysterious and hidden Lord, You speak to me day and night and continually reveal Your love to me. Help me to learn to listen to You so that I may grow deep in faith and may truly become Your follower in every way. Jesus, I trust in You.

THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER TELL PEOPLE:

Life n Love

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Ahmed Faraz Dawach

 

Mar 17

THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER TELL PEOPLE:

Hey friends!

Let's talk about the importance of keeping some things to yourself. Here are six valuable lessons to help you navigate the world with confidence and discretion:

Keep your dreams to yourself (for now). Not everyone will be supportive of your goals, and some might even try to bring you down. Keep your aspirations private until you're ready to share them with the world.

Be mindful of who you trust with your vulnerabilities. Sharing your weaknesses with the wrong people can leave you open to hurt and exploitation. Be cautious about who you confide in.

Don't dwell on past mistakes. Instead, use them as opportunities to learn and grow. Don't give others the power to define you by your failures.

Move quietly and strike with surprise. There's power in keeping your plans under wraps until you're ready to make your move. Let your success speak for itself!

Keep your secrets safe. Only share confidential information with people you trust implicitly. Remember, loose lips can sink ships!

Keep your financial life private. Avoid flaunting your wealth or revealing the source of your income. Let people focus on your character, not your bank account.

Remember, discretion is key. Keep your private life private and only share information with people who have earned your trust.

Thanks for reading, friends! If you found this helpful, give it a thumbs up and follow me for more insightful content!

The Meaning of Love

May 1, 2025 Thursday of the Second Week of Easter Readings for Today Saint Joseph the Worker—Optional Memorial

Sancta Trinitas by Lawrence OP, license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Video The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. John 3:35 It’s interesting to note that the words of today’s Gospel appear to be from Saint John the Baptist, since they come within the context of his testimony to Jesus. Some commentators, however, suggest that they are words that were actually spoken by Jesus and that the Evangelist inserts them here as a continuation of the testimony of the Baptist, attributing them to Saint John. Regardless of who actually spoke these words, the line quoted above gives us much to reflect upon, in that it gives us insight into the very meaning and practice of true love. What is love? Is it a feeling? An emotion? A drive or a desire for something or someone? Of course, the secular understanding of love is much different than a divine understanding of love. Oftentimes the secular view of love is more self-centered. To “love” someone or something is to want to possess that person or object. “Love” from a secular view focuses upon the attraction and desire. But true love, from a divine perspective, is very different. The line quoted above tells us two things: First, we are told that “The Father loves the Son…” But then we are given a definition of that love. We are told that love in this case results in the Father giving “everything over” to the Son. When we consider the word “everything” in this passage, it is clear that this can only refer to the Father giving Himself to the Son in totality. Within the life of the Father, everything means His very essence, His being, His personhood, His whole divine self. The Father does not say, “I want;” rather, the Father says, “I give.” And the Son receives all that the Father is. Though this is deep and mystical language, it becomes very practical for our lives when we understand that divine love is not about wanting, taking, desiring, feeling, etc. Divine love is about giving. It’s about the giving of oneself to another. And it’s not just about giving some of yourself away, it’s about giving “everything” away. If the Father gave everything to the Son, does that mean that the Father has nothing left? Certainly not. The beautiful nature of divine love is that it is never ending. The more one gives themself away, the more they have. Thus, the gift of the life of the Father to the Son is infinite and eternal. The Father never ceases to give, and the Son never ceases to receive. And the more the Father gives Himself to the Son, the more the Father becomes the essence of love itself. The same is true in our lives. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that love should only go so far. But if we are to strive to imitate and participate in the love the Father has for the Son, then we must also understand that love is about giving, not receiving, and that the giving must be a gift of everything, holding nothing back. We must give ourselves away to others without counting the cost and without exception. Reflect, today, upon your view of love. Look at it from a practical perspective as you think about the people whom you are especially called to love with a divine love. Do you understand your duty to give yourself to them completely? Do you realize that giving yourself away will not result in the loss of your life but in the fulfillment of it? Ponder the divine love that the Father has for the Son and make the radical and holy choice today to strive to imitate and participate in that same love. My loving Lord, the Father has given all to You, and You, in turn, have given all to the Father. The love You share is infinite and eternal, overflowing into the lives of all Your creatures. Draw me into that divine love, dear Lord, and help me to imitate and share in Your love by fully giving my life to others. Jesus, I trust in You.