Pope Leo XIV has adopted a more low-key, less combative style to his predecessor in the early months of his papacy. Pope Francis’s openness to the LGBTQ community, advocacy for migrants and critiques of unrestrained capitalism saw him run up against strong conservative opposition inside and outside the church.
Leo, after gently dipping his toe into the US political fray, is now facing criticism from similar quarters to Francis. The opposition is coming from conservative Catholics in the US and MAGA supporters, some of whom, after Leo’s election, had hoped he would take the church in a different direction from Pope Francis.
The first American pope was asked on Tuesday about plans by the cardinal in Leo’s home city of Chicago to give an award to Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of Senate Democratic leadership. Cardinal Blase Cupich, an ally and friend of the pope, was planning to give Durbin a “Lifetime Achievement Award for support to immigrants,” but the move faced a backlash given Durbin’s support for abortion rights. Durbin decided to refuse the honor.
Unusually, around 10 US bishops even spoke out publicly against the award. Two of those who did – Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Bishop Thomas Paprocki – were both appointed a religious liberty advisory body by US President Donald Trump and had been at odds with decisions made by Francis.
Rather than condemn the award, Leo said it was important to look at Durbin’s “40 years of service in the United States Senate.” The pope then said that it’s “not really pro-life” to oppose abortion and support the death penalty, while also questioning whether it was “pro-life” to support the “inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States.”
Leo’s comments were immediately criticized. One conservative Catholic described it as “disappointing” and “largely irrelevant”, right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh said it was a “terrible answer from Pope Leo” and Jack Posobiec, an influencer who is supportive of Trump, posted on X simply: “Some popes are a blessing. Some popes are a penance.” Joseph Strickland, the outspoken retired bishop of Tyler, Texas, said Leo’s remarks had created “much confusion”.
Pope Leo XIV attends the International Conference “Raising Hope for Climate Justice” on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the Encyclical Laudato Si’ at Mariapolis Center in Castel Gandolfo on October 01, 2025. ( – Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
The day after, however, Leo generated more MAGA opposition when he took part in climate conference where he called for action on protecting the planet and blessed some ice. It all comes during a period when Leo had a private meeting with Reverend James Martin, a leading advocate for LGBTQ Catholics, spoke up against the “pandemic of arms” following the Minnesota school shooting and criticised huge CEO salaries and singling out Elon Musk.
Is the Chicago-born pontiff positioning his papacy as a counterbalance to the Trump administration? Along with his comments about abortion and immigration, he described Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent speech to generals as “worrying”.
“He’s open to helping and dialoguing with him. He wants to be an interlocutor,” she said. “His remarks are aimed at Catholics and what he’s saying is there is a ‘consistent life ethic’. Yes, abortion is wrong but being pro-life respects human dignity in all its forms, whether it concerns the death penalty or immigrants. Being from the United States, Leo is aware that the term ‘pro-life’ is often pigeon-holed into abortion.”
Elise Ann Allen, who recently interviewed Leo for her biography of the pope for her book “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century,” said Leo does not want to be “anti-Trump”.
For some Catholics abortion is the “pre-eminent” issue, while they question Francis’ decision to update church teaching and make the death penalty “inadmissible.”
Francis’ critics hoped that Leo’s distinct style – such as his decision to wear the red mozzetta cape after his election – might signal a course correction.
“Conservative Catholics had hoped that Pope Francis’ reforms would follow him into the tomb, that the universal church would view his papacy the way they did, as a bit of bad weather that had finally and thankfully passed,” Michael Sean Winters, a Catholic commentator, wrote in the National Catholic Reporter.
This week they were disappointed. Leo has shown he will, like Francis, try and avoid the culture wars. He doesn’t want to fuel any polarization. “They are very complex issues, and I don’t know if anyone has all the truth on them,” the Pope pointed out when asked about Durbin’s award. Leo will also speak up, when necessary, particularly on the treatment of immigrants, an issue close to his heart from his time as a bishop in Peru. While Leo’s aim is to be a peacemaker his intervention this week show he’s unafraid to face opposition when drawing lines on where the church stands.
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