When Pope Leo XIV ascended to the papacy, the corporate media and their woke cheerleaders salivated, hoping for Francis 2.0. They wanted another pontiff who would validate their radical left-wing agenda and push globalist talking points from the pulpit. But to their disappointment—and to the delight of traditional Catholics everywhere—Leo XIV quickly proved he wasn’t the woke puppet they hoped he would be.
First, let’s get one thing straight: Pope Leo XIV isn’t an ideologue. The left-wing media, eager to co-opt the papal throne, quickly labeled him as a “woke pope” based on flimsy evidence. An Alternet article breathlessly praised Leo for criticizing Vice President JD Vance’s common-sense statement that love begins at home. Cardinal Robert Prevost, before becoming Pope Leo XIV, had tweeted, “J.D. Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” From this single tweet, leftist pundits gleefully proclaimed him their ally. But a single theological disagreement hardly makes one a Marxist revolutionary. It makes him a theologian engaging in theological debate—period.
Moreover, prominent conservative voices like Laura Loomer jumped the gun, branding Leo XIV a “Marxist.” Such knee-jerk reactions are misguided. Mislabeling him only plays into the hands of the woke left, who thrive on confusion and division. Make no mistake: Leo XIV has already proven himself a defender of core conservative values.
The woke leftists at the Nation magazine are already lionizing Leo XIV, mistakenly linking him to Pope Leo XIII’s alleged “social justice” agenda. They conveniently forget history. Pope Leo XIII’s landmark 1891 encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” was not a socialist manifesto—it was a fierce defense of private property and a dire warning against Marxism. Leo XIII warned clearly that socialism would result in “the leveling down of all to a like condition of misery and degradation,” an insight proven tragically correct throughout the twentieth century. Pope Leo XIV, far from embracing left-wing ideology, proudly claims the mantle of his namesake, standing against Marxist deception and woke fantasies.
On key social issues, the new pope is a traditionalist through and through. His strong pro-life stance puts him squarely at odds with radical abortion advocates. Leo XIV has unequivocally condemned abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide, reaffirming the sacredness of life from conception to natural death. He has also spoken out boldly against redefining marriage, criticizing “alternative families” composed of same-sex partners raising adopted children. In no uncertain terms, Leo XIV declared that such radical experiments undermine the stability and sanctity of the family unit as ordained by God.
Even more encouraging, Leo XIV boldly took aim at the insidious “gender ideology” infecting schools. He condemned these dangerous teachings in Peru, firmly stating, “The promotion of gender ideology is confusing because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist.” Such moral clarity is exactly what faithful Catholics—and indeed all conservatives—have been praying for after years of confusion and compromise from religious authorities.
Admittedly, Pope Leo XIV does differ from conservatives on certain issues, particularly immigration. He has criticized President Trump’s robust border policies and expressed concerns about the tough immigration crackdowns in Latin America. But unlike many left-wing globalists, Leo XIV is an honest actor. He may disagree with conservative immigration policy, but he’s no open-borders radical. Rather, he calls for compassion and dialogue—positions we can thoughtfully debate without labeling him woke.
Interestingly, Pope Leo XIV is no Democrat. Voting records show he has cast ballots in past Republican primaries, specifically in 2012, 2014, and 2016. Although he abstained from the general election in 2016 and opted for an absentee ballot in 2024, it’s clear he aligns more closely with traditional Bush-era Republicanism than with MAGA populism. Yet his conservative credentials are genuine, and attempts to brand him as a woke progressive are laughably off-base.
The left’s desperation to paint Leo XIV as an ideological ally reveals their fear. The woke agenda seeks domination, not dialogue, and the presence of a strong, traditional pope poses a direct threat to their plans. Conservatives should rally around Leo XIV, recognizing that while we may not agree on every policy point, he is undoubtedly a powerful ally in the cultural and spiritual battle against woke ideology. Pope Leo XIV is no Francis 2.0—and thank God for that.
