(and eight different people coming by to tell you about it...). JVL!! Thank you for the clarity in your writing and the abundance of your work. You always deliver. Lately it seems a prolific delivery at the levels of Ryoki Inoue or Isaac Asimov or Agatha Christie, and none of them did podcasts in between their writings, so as it compels you, do take care of yourself also 🙏🏼🙌🏼✊🏼
As a southside or I’ll be at not a Catholic I can state definitively that the fact that he is a White Sox fan is all the proof you need that he is on the side of the downtrodden.
I love you anyway, and that little blip from yesterday caused me to sit up and take note that I needed to change my payment information and re-up. So it had a good result, thanks. Go White Sox!
As a Catholic South Sider and a White Sox fan, we don't have much going for us right now, so I hope you understand WHY there would be such a rush to correct you on where he is from. If the Sox can get a new owner during Leo XIV's papacy who wants to turn things around, it should be counted as a miracle during his potential canonization.
Hey, the key difference there is he's probably a Sox fan, not a Cubs fan. Huge difference, if you've ever lived in Chicago. Thanks for clearing that up!
Mmm. Not quite. The Canadian people elected the man we believed would never allow our nation be swallowed by the USA, whether declining or not. We didn’t calculate that we’d be better off without you, we realized that we had no choice but to look for alternate markets and military allies.
Great article, JVL! My husband is a cradle Catholic who went to the seminary for two years and taught RCIA for 30 years. I was raised Methodist and had already started preparation classes to become Catholic before I met him when I was 25. We’re both the pope’s age. We had discussed the list of names that were contenders and were stunned and thrilled to hear we had an American pope! We live about 90 minutes from Chicago and Notre Dame is 20 minutes away. Our church is St. Augustine Catholic Church. To quote part of our mission statement— “We are a multi-racial faith community, rooted in the African-American tradition. We commit ourselves to living the faith and proclaiming the Gospel through our efforts toward evangelization, Spirit-filled worship, community outreach programs, and social services”. If you’re ever in town for a Notre Dame game, please visit our church. It’s a joy-filled church that loves and serves others which seems so much like Pope Francis and Pope Leo. I feel like he will bring people back to the church in America. And we’re willing to overlook the fact that he’s a White Sox fan. :o)
We are SO CLEARLY a nation in decline. A healthy electorate would never have elected someone as odious as the current squatter in the Oval Office once, never mind twice after insurrection and felony convictions. And for all maga's talk about "how the world respects us again," it truly is the opposite.
A New Orleans genealogist and Historian has found his maternal grandparents’ marriage license from 1887. His grandfather’s place of birth is listed as Haiti. The census of 1900 says that he (grandfather) was a cigar maker and describes both grandparents as black. So they would have been “Creoles of color”. They moved to Chicago between 1910-1912 and apparently began identifying as white then. Wait until MAGA gets that bit of information - he’ll be the “DEI pope”! But it shows that he embodies the full complicated richness of American history.
Very interesting & thought-provoking read. In child-like fashion, I had hoped that politics & Christianity could be kept apart, as they should, but now I understand it is impossible for most. I pray, daily, that God has placed the new Pope, born in America, as His instrument of peace & love…not to become a political puppet…..
Amazing piece. I’m not sure what part I liked the most—-that’s not really true. The part I liked most was thinking about cardinal Barron’s reaction to an American pope that isn’t him. That’s the opposite of him. Maybe this is where the real MAGA reckoning starts? Where they start to realize they are the losers we have known them to be for the better part of a decade? That they have embraced hate and the rest of the world sees them and condemns them for the weak, selfish, backwards thinking, lazy, entitled humans they are? Just thinking about this is absolutely delicious.
Centuries of Catholicism in my blood. It makes Holiness a meaningful word.
But extrardinary intelligence and free thinging was built in the unique mixing of DNA. My generation came with answers rather than questions. And belief that the whole Bible was meant to support red type.
Our current Christian tinted and seated emperor has thrown out red type, leaning on the book of Revelations as the summation of our written message. A book that brilliant theologins believe could have been a nightmare about Christian persecution by the Romans, or gifted prophesy.
The naked king could not have done this without the ignorance of the red type and the religious fear that has been used in too many churches to control their people and suck out riches.
It is my belief that the Vatican understands the importance of a strong and benevolent America and placed a leader to continue and expound on Pope Frances' work to remind all who walk as believers of what Jesus intended for us to be.
Not in politics, but in the core of belief of Catholics and Protestants.
JVL as a person raised in a similar circumstansances to you ie Catholic Schools, devout Catholic parents in the suburbs etc. I'd like to add a few comments after what you said on The Secret Podcast about the comments you made about Pope Francis as a fellow traveler.
First of all 99.9% of the Catholics in the world have no up close and personal relationships those at the Vatican. Even though I read The Piller occasionaly what you indicated about Pope Francis was news to many Catholics.
I do agree that the fuss over the Latin Mass was pointless. If people prefer to go to mass in Latin it's better than not going to mass at all.
As far as the church dealing with abuse of children I agree that it has to end yesterday. However it took until 2000 for the Pope to give a semi apology for events of WWII. Nothing has been said about the Jewish ghettos in Italy. That has been swept under the rug for 80 years so I'm not holding my breath for an apology for sexual abuse of children.
I would be personally happy if Pope Leo stressed the importance of the 10 Commandments, mercy,grace and love. I would also hope that the Nunciature in El Salvatore could negotiate the release of immigrants.
Otherwise the Pope is the Holy Father of the Catholic global church. Although it did bring a smile to my face that the Pope did his undergratuate study at Villanova.
I'm getting annoyed with all this "the new pope is American" talk. So what? He is also a citizen of Peru and has spent the majority of his ministry in Peru and the Vatican. His connection to his birthplace is irrevelant. Let the man do his job.
As non-Catholics, many of us were dismissive and critical of Catholics and Catholism, seeing it as out of date and patriarchal.
But Pope Francis helped change that thinking for many of us. His humility and everman approach was so refreshing and inclusive that I have totally changed my feelings.
In the end I loved the man and was concerned about what would happen when he was gone. But thankfully I am very encouraged by this and other things I have read. Pope Leo seems to want to continue the good work, and I bless him and pray for him.
In a nation where the likes of a Laura Looney have the ear of its Supreme Leader as well as the ears, or eyes, or whatever, of thousands of citizens, that's a clear sign of national decline. Maybe Bishop Barron is correct, but if he's aligning with MAGA he's not aligned with Christianity. Yeah, I know that Many here will crucify me for saying that, but tough noogies. MAGA is rage, fear, engless grievance and hatred for "others", plus its idolatrous worshiping at the Golden Calf of Trump places it squarely out of bounds.
MAGA is a measure of American failure, born out of neglect for millions of its "plain people" as H L Menken would have put it. It's a movement of the people by the charlatan, and for the charlatan, and may pass, like a kidney stone, but will be replaced by another movement, because we're not a nation that cares all that much about people beyond our 20 foot radius of influence, nor do we demand probity as a characteristic of the people we elect.
I'm happy to see an American born Pope, but more importantly, to see one who is not a reversion to regressivism. We already got more than enough of that here.
I'm also happy to hear that he's an effective administrator and negotiator, though not happy to hear that he's been diffident about actively rooting out and punishing sexual abuse among the clergy.
1. Are Loomer and Kirk opposed to Trump now? No longer interested in bringing religion back to America?
2. Is Kirk, as a self-proclaimed Christian, biased against other Christians he doesn’t like? Has he not read the Bible?
1 John 4:20-21:
"If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar. For whoever loves God must also love his brother."
They want the 10 commandments in classrooms. Well, Moses also related this from the Lord’s words to him:
Numbers 15: 15-26
”For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”
Yes. I know. South Side. I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me again. I already got the memo about the cover sheet for my TPS report.
(and eight different people coming by to tell you about it...). JVL!! Thank you for the clarity in your writing and the abundance of your work. You always deliver. Lately it seems a prolific delivery at the levels of Ryoki Inoue or Isaac Asimov or Agatha Christie, and none of them did podcasts in between their writings, so as it compels you, do take care of yourself also 🙏🏼🙌🏼✊🏼
As a southside or I’ll be at not a Catholic I can state definitively that the fact that he is a White Sox fan is all the proof you need that he is on the side of the downtrodden.
If you’re from Chicago that’s an important distinction.
Did he know Leroy Brown?
Oh, I am sure that several parodies of "Big Bad Leroy Brown" are being worked on as we speak.....
I can't figure out how to do a laughing face on this app, but that reply definitely deserves one!
:-)
My understanding is the Leroy was the baddest man in the whole damn town
It’s a type of blasphemy that surely a Pope could forgive even if MAGA can’t.
I love you anyway, and that little blip from yesterday caused me to sit up and take note that I needed to change my payment information and re-up. So it had a good result, thanks. Go White Sox!
As a Catholic South Sider and a White Sox fan, we don't have much going for us right now, so I hope you understand WHY there would be such a rush to correct you on where he is from. If the Sox can get a new owner during Leo XIV's papacy who wants to turn things around, it should be counted as a miracle during his potential canonization.
Does it even matter? Go Chicago!!!
There was an article in the Tribune this morning about whether the Pope is a Sox fan or a Cubs fan.
🔥FLASH 🔥HR is now finalizing an update to the memo re the TPS cover sheet. Pause activity on existing memo awaiting new requirements.
You would have been brilliant casting for Peter Gibbons 💜
That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.
Bragging about one's life as an abused person is always in questionable taste.
Hey, the key difference there is he's probably a Sox fan, not a Cubs fan. Huge difference, if you've ever lived in Chicago. Thanks for clearing that up!
As a south burb resident who lives 4-5 miles from where he grew up, thank you for this!
Love the movie references haha :-)
Mmm. Not quite. The Canadian people elected the man we believed would never allow our nation be swallowed by the USA, whether declining or not. We didn’t calculate that we’d be better off without you, we realized that we had no choice but to look for alternate markets and military allies.
Great article, JVL! My husband is a cradle Catholic who went to the seminary for two years and taught RCIA for 30 years. I was raised Methodist and had already started preparation classes to become Catholic before I met him when I was 25. We’re both the pope’s age. We had discussed the list of names that were contenders and were stunned and thrilled to hear we had an American pope! We live about 90 minutes from Chicago and Notre Dame is 20 minutes away. Our church is St. Augustine Catholic Church. To quote part of our mission statement— “We are a multi-racial faith community, rooted in the African-American tradition. We commit ourselves to living the faith and proclaiming the Gospel through our efforts toward evangelization, Spirit-filled worship, community outreach programs, and social services”. If you’re ever in town for a Notre Dame game, please visit our church. It’s a joy-filled church that loves and serves others which seems so much like Pope Francis and Pope Leo. I feel like he will bring people back to the church in America. And we’re willing to overlook the fact that he’s a White Sox fan. :o)
We are SO CLEARLY a nation in decline. A healthy electorate would never have elected someone as odious as the current squatter in the Oval Office once, never mind twice after insurrection and felony convictions. And for all maga's talk about "how the world respects us again," it truly is the opposite.
A New Orleans genealogist and Historian has found his maternal grandparents’ marriage license from 1887. His grandfather’s place of birth is listed as Haiti. The census of 1900 says that he (grandfather) was a cigar maker and describes both grandparents as black. So they would have been “Creoles of color”. They moved to Chicago between 1910-1912 and apparently began identifying as white then. Wait until MAGA gets that bit of information - he’ll be the “DEI pope”! But it shows that he embodies the full complicated richness of American history.
Very interesting & thought-provoking read. In child-like fashion, I had hoped that politics & Christianity could be kept apart, as they should, but now I understand it is impossible for most. I pray, daily, that God has placed the new Pope, born in America, as His instrument of peace & love…not to become a political puppet…..
Amazing piece. I’m not sure what part I liked the most—-that’s not really true. The part I liked most was thinking about cardinal Barron’s reaction to an American pope that isn’t him. That’s the opposite of him. Maybe this is where the real MAGA reckoning starts? Where they start to realize they are the losers we have known them to be for the better part of a decade? That they have embraced hate and the rest of the world sees them and condemns them for the weak, selfish, backwards thinking, lazy, entitled humans they are? Just thinking about this is absolutely delicious.
Centuries of Catholicism in my blood. It makes Holiness a meaningful word.
But extrardinary intelligence and free thinging was built in the unique mixing of DNA. My generation came with answers rather than questions. And belief that the whole Bible was meant to support red type.
Our current Christian tinted and seated emperor has thrown out red type, leaning on the book of Revelations as the summation of our written message. A book that brilliant theologins believe could have been a nightmare about Christian persecution by the Romans, or gifted prophesy.
The naked king could not have done this without the ignorance of the red type and the religious fear that has been used in too many churches to control their people and suck out riches.
It is my belief that the Vatican understands the importance of a strong and benevolent America and placed a leader to continue and expound on Pope Frances' work to remind all who walk as believers of what Jesus intended for us to be.
Not in politics, but in the core of belief of Catholics and Protestants.
JVL as a person raised in a similar circumstansances to you ie Catholic Schools, devout Catholic parents in the suburbs etc. I'd like to add a few comments after what you said on The Secret Podcast about the comments you made about Pope Francis as a fellow traveler.
First of all 99.9% of the Catholics in the world have no up close and personal relationships those at the Vatican. Even though I read The Piller occasionaly what you indicated about Pope Francis was news to many Catholics.
I do agree that the fuss over the Latin Mass was pointless. If people prefer to go to mass in Latin it's better than not going to mass at all.
As far as the church dealing with abuse of children I agree that it has to end yesterday. However it took until 2000 for the Pope to give a semi apology for events of WWII. Nothing has been said about the Jewish ghettos in Italy. That has been swept under the rug for 80 years so I'm not holding my breath for an apology for sexual abuse of children.
I would be personally happy if Pope Leo stressed the importance of the 10 Commandments, mercy,grace and love. I would also hope that the Nunciature in El Salvatore could negotiate the release of immigrants.
Otherwise the Pope is the Holy Father of the Catholic global church. Although it did bring a smile to my face that the Pope did his undergratuate study at Villanova.
Laura Looney believes that trumpf can fire the pope.
I'm getting annoyed with all this "the new pope is American" talk. So what? He is also a citizen of Peru and has spent the majority of his ministry in Peru and the Vatican. His connection to his birthplace is irrevelant. Let the man do his job.
Another great analysis, thanks, JVL.
As non-Catholics, many of us were dismissive and critical of Catholics and Catholism, seeing it as out of date and patriarchal.
But Pope Francis helped change that thinking for many of us. His humility and everman approach was so refreshing and inclusive that I have totally changed my feelings.
In the end I loved the man and was concerned about what would happen when he was gone. But thankfully I am very encouraged by this and other things I have read. Pope Leo seems to want to continue the good work, and I bless him and pray for him.
In a nation where the likes of a Laura Looney have the ear of its Supreme Leader as well as the ears, or eyes, or whatever, of thousands of citizens, that's a clear sign of national decline. Maybe Bishop Barron is correct, but if he's aligning with MAGA he's not aligned with Christianity. Yeah, I know that Many here will crucify me for saying that, but tough noogies. MAGA is rage, fear, engless grievance and hatred for "others", plus its idolatrous worshiping at the Golden Calf of Trump places it squarely out of bounds.
MAGA is a measure of American failure, born out of neglect for millions of its "plain people" as H L Menken would have put it. It's a movement of the people by the charlatan, and for the charlatan, and may pass, like a kidney stone, but will be replaced by another movement, because we're not a nation that cares all that much about people beyond our 20 foot radius of influence, nor do we demand probity as a characteristic of the people we elect.
I'm happy to see an American born Pope, but more importantly, to see one who is not a reversion to regressivism. We already got more than enough of that here.
I'm also happy to hear that he's an effective administrator and negotiator, though not happy to hear that he's been diffident about actively rooting out and punishing sexual abuse among the clergy.
Why a mention MAGA in the headline? They’re ancillary. Off the new pope’s message is consistent with Jesus’ teachings, that is THE message.
Thanks, JVL. A profound observation.
I’m late, but:
1. Are Loomer and Kirk opposed to Trump now? No longer interested in bringing religion back to America?
2. Is Kirk, as a self-proclaimed Christian, biased against other Christians he doesn’t like? Has he not read the Bible?
1 John 4:20-21:
"If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar. For whoever loves God must also love his brother."
They want the 10 commandments in classrooms. Well, Moses also related this from the Lord’s words to him:
Numbers 15: 15-26
”For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”