Pope Leo XIV is the Most Based Pope Ever

The first week of Leo XIV’s Papacy has been very promising

Since his election, Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, has impressed Catholics around the world, including many who at first seemed skeptical of what the new Pope might accomplish. In particular, it seems that the election of Pope Leo XIV is poised to be a highly positive development for both the Church and Western Postliberals.

Before explaining why I believe that the election of Pope Leo XIV is a positive development for the Church and for Western Postliberals, it is necessary to note that the Church and the Papacy are pre-modern institutions that cannot simply be viewed through the lens of Western left-right politics.

The Pope is the rock on which the Church is built, and his primary duty is the salvation of souls and the upholding of Catholic doctrine; his duty is not to the politics of the Western world, which are trifling matters by comparison. Pope Leo XIV seems to understand this, and his words and actions, ranging from his clear love of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, his choice of liturgical vestments, his love of the Latin language, and his love of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, indicate that he will fulfill this duty well.

Pope Leo XIV seems to have a great understanding of the pastoral needs of the laity, as shown by his appreciation for and understanding of the work of St. Josemaria, who famously emphasized the universal call to holiness and the sanctification of the work of the laity.

With regard to the role of the Papacy as the rock upon which the Church and her doctrines rest, it is greatly heartening to see that Pope Leo XIV has an impeccable record of doctrinal orthodoxy, particularly with regard to those doctrines of the Church that liberal modernity takes offense to. On the issue of abortion, Pope Leo XIV has a long record as a constant defender of human life and the dignity of the unborn. He first became an advocate for the unborn as a university student when he helped found “Villanovans for Life.”

Since his election, Pope Leo XIV has taken the time to speak about the importance of the family, marriage, and the dignity of the unborn. He has declared his wish for governments to build societies “above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman.” In addition to this, Leo has used his papacy to emphasize the dignity of all, stating that, “no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike.”

Pope Leo XIV also seems to understand deeply the dangers of Marxism and Liberation Theology. In 2010, then-Monseignor Prevost warned a conference of Latin American bishops that “Communism has penetrated even Christian circles disguised as solidarity,” and that it is the duty of the Catholic Church to expose it.

Pope Leo also chose to wear a pectoral cross containing the relics of Blessed Anselmo Polanco, an Augustinian bishop martyred by the communist “Republican” side of the Spanish Civil War, indicating that he understands the danger that Marxism poses to the Church. Even his selection of the name “Leo” suggests that he will be a strong defender of Catholic doctrine on these matters, as Pope Leo XIII sharply condemned the errors of Marxism and atheism.

On postliberal issues in particular, the election of Pope Leo XIV to the papacy seems promising given the Pope’s desire to hearken back to the legacy of the aforementioned Leo XIII. Leo XIII used his time as Pope to build on the work of Blessed Pius IX and to develop Catholic Social Teaching, basing it on many of the same thinkers that modern Western Postliberals appreciate.

For instance, in Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, which condemned both socialism and what we would today term “market-fundamentalism,” he echoed the work of the French Legitimist Louis de Bonald. Just as de Bonald observed that a nation’s true wealth lies in its morals, Pope Leo XIII declared that “the true worth and nobility of man lie in his moral qualities.”

Like many modern Postliberals, rightly, focus on the ongoing crisis of the family in the modern West, Leo XIII also condemned many of the evil propositions against marriage and the family in his work, most notably in his powerful encyclical Arcanum Divinae.

While some in the media have alleged that Pope Leo XIV is hostile to immigration restrictionism, citing tweets from an old X account under then-Cardinal Prevost’s name, the Pope’s public statements seem to reflect an understanding of the restrictionist position. For instance, as part of a homily, then-Cardinal Prevost said the following:

All these immigrants continue to come. It’s a huge problem, and it’s a problem worldwide, not only in this country. There’s got to be a way both to solve the problem, but also to treat people with respect.

These comments suggest that the current Pope, correctly, understands immigration as a complex problem, in need of a solution that balances various interests, such as cultural cohesion and economic growth.

On this point, there is broad agreement between the Pope and prominent contemporary restrictionists, President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, that one must balance national interest with human dignity when it comes to immigration. In keeping with the Pope’s nuance on the issue, Catholic advocates of immigration restriction, repatriation, and remigration should emphasize the compatibility of the preservation of natural goods like a nation, people, heritage, and culture with protecting the working class from cheap foreign labor.

As stated earlier, the role of the Pope is primarily that of the Vicar of Christ on Earth and the rock on which the Church is built, rather than a mere political figure. On that front, the Pope seems poised to be a pious defender of the Church and her doctrines. At the same time, Pope Leo XIV appears to be a potential ally to Western Postliberals and social conservatives.

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