“Woke” Pope Leo XIV slammed by MAGA supporters – story-veterans.com

Pope Leo decided to leave his normal childhood behind and left for an Augustinian Seminary.

“He went right from high school seminary, and then Augustinian College at Villanova, and then the year of theology. So he wasn’t home a lot, except for summer vacations,” the Pope’s brother continued, adding that despite being the youngest, Leo usually gave them advice. “It’s usually the other way around; he gives the advice to us.”

In an interview with the Italian network Rai before his election, Pope Leo XIV explained that he grew up in an immigrant family.

“I was born in the United States… But my grandparents were all immigrants, French, Spanish… I was raised in a very Catholic family, both of my parents were very engaged in the parish,” he said.

“He maintains good humour and joy”
Prevost holds American and Peruvian citizenship, which will affect his career within the church. He gave his vows in 1981 and studied in Rome. After that, he was sent on a mission to Peru and stayed there for many years. In 2014, he was appointed bishop of Ciclayo in Peru.

As per The Guardian, Rev Fidel Purisaca Vigil, the communications director for Prevost’s old diocese in Chiclayo, Pope Leo XIV was a calm and grounded leader. He always sat down with fellow priests after morning prayer to eat breakfast.

“No matter how many problems he has, he maintains good humour and joy,” Rev Fidel Purisaca Vigil told the Associated Press.

Another person who spoke about Leo is his former roommate, Reverend John Lyndon. He lived with the Pope for a decade in Peru and told the BBC that he was an “outstanding” and “down-to-earth” person who loved singing and cooking.

“Sometimes he would make pizza, back in those days you couldn’t get good pizza in Peru,” Rev Lyndon told the BBC. “He was somebody you would sit down with and just talk and laugh,” he adds. “He had a very good singing voice as well.”

He continued, “We always had to block out a week for his birthday, which is in December, because every part of the parish wanted to celebrate his birthday,” he concluded, “It’s an amazing thing. I’m still absorbing it.”

Leo XIV has long supported the previous Pope, Pope Francis. He supported him in blessing same-sex couples and other people in “irregular situations.” However, he also believed that bishops had to interpret it in directives by local cultures.

Pope Leo “didn’t” think he’d win election, brother reveals
Like his predecessor, Leo has spoken out about the threat of climate change, and said last year that it’s time to move from “words to action.” He also said that humanity has to build a “relationship of reciprocity” with the environment. Moreover, he has supported the installation of solar panels and the adoption of electric vehicles.

Pope Francis was also a supporter of women joining the Dicastery for Bishops. In 2023, he told Vatican News that he had, on several occasions, seen women’s “point of view as an enrichment.”