Habemus Papam

The newly-elected Pope Leo XIV is being acclaimed as 'the first American Pope' - er, not exactly...

If one considers North America in general, and the United States in particular, as constituting 'America' then maybe this makes sense. But I know it drives the Hispanidad loco and I understand why - it's a classically arrogant Anglo-Saxon conceit. Okay, so Robert Prevost was born in Chicago, Illinois - and you don't get much more 'American' than that - but he spent most of his adult life in Peru and has joint Peruvian-American citizenship. His predecessor, Pope Francis, was technically the first American pope, being Argentinian, but apparently Latin America doesn't count, despite being settled by Europeans long before those regions north of Darién on the Isthmus of Panama.

Donald Trump, the 'American' President, gushed on his Truth Central (sic) platform: “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!” I'm sure Pope Leo can hardly contain his excitement at the prospect. However, Trump's ultra-conservative consigliere, Steve Bannon, himself a Catholic, had a rather different take on matters: "The worst choice for MAGA Catholics" calling Leo's election "...an anti-Trump vote by the globalists of the Curia". 

As the chief apologist for an Antichrist president, I don't think we need take his word as gospel.

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