Pope Leo's tall task: Healing Catholic America's political divide

Pope Leo XIV — the first U.S.-born pontiff, who is of Spanish and Creole descent and served in Latin America — is uniquely positioned to help ease deep divisions between the country's white and Latino Catholics.Why it matters: The new pope has been an outspoken defender of migrant rights, and his family's immigration story touches an issue that has split many U.S. Catholics along cultural and political lines.Zoom in: Those familiar with the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost described him Thursday as an empathetic centrist with a measured approach that's tinted with humor. They imagined that he could help soften tensions within the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church, and beyond. Some even thought that the turmoil surrounding President Trump's policies on immigration and other issues had made the surprise selection of an American pope more likely."The upheaval of international order made clear by President Trump has made possible the impossible, meaning the papal election of an American citizen," Massimo Faggioli, a professor of historical theology at Villanova University — the new pope's alma mater — told CNN.Pope Leo's selection comes as the Trump administration is detaining and pushing to deport thousands of Latino immigrants, many of them Catholics."There has been no more urgent issue for the American bishops than the deportation of tens of thousands of their Catholic, Latin American parishioners," Andrew Chesnut, the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan chairman in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, tells Axios.White and Latino Catholics represent one in five Americans and are one of the most influential blocs among the world's Catholic faithful.White Catholics overwhelmingly approve of Trump's immigration policies, but few Latino Catholics agree, according to a survey released last week by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).The survey found that white and Latino Catholics are also far apart on a range of other social issues, including LGBTQ rights and diversity initiatives.The divisions among American Catholics have been exacerbated by Trump's policies, presenting a significant challenge — and an opportunity — for the new pope, Chesnut said.Between the lines: Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI, tells Axios that Leo's rise could fuel interest in the church among lapsed Catholics in the U.S., where membership has been fading amid a jump in "religious nones" — those with no religious affiliation.Reality check: Attitudes toward Trump and immigration are deeply ingrained in American culture, making it difficult for a pope — even one from Chicago — to become a major influence beyond the church.But the history-making aspect of Leo's selection will draw many Americans' attention, at least for a while. The backstory: Pope Leo, 69, was born to a French-Italian American father who served in World War II and a Spanish American mother with roots in New Orleans Creole.He arrived in Peru on an Augustinian mission in 1985, and later directed the Augustinian seminary in the northern city of Trujillo for 10 years.He later became a Peruvian citizen, and maintains dual citizenship.The future Pope Leo said last year that it's "very important" for bishops to reach out to those on the margins of society and those who feel excluded, according to Vatican News.The U.S. advocacy group Catholic Legal Immigration Network praised Leo's selection Thursday, saying his record indicates he "will prioritize the voices and needs of migrants" who are fleeing violence.In February, an X account that appears to belong to the pope re-posted an article that criticized Vice President Vance for suggesting people should prioritize how they care for one another.More from Axios:Meet Pope Leo XIV, the first American to serve as Bishop of RomeChurches turn to Christmas migrant story amid deportation fears

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