HUGH HEWITT: Will Pope Leo XIV reverse the anti-American vibe from the last pope?

Many Catholics astir the satellite indispensable marvel astatine the chaotic diverseness of reactions to the predetermination of Pope Leo XIV wrong the United States. 

Something approaching fractional of the blistery takes from American media connected the time of Pope Leo’s elevation that traveled overseas from X were connected shot and heavy crockery pizza. Another subset of reactions are Villanova alums getting elbows into the ribs of their Notre Dame pals accompanied by immoderate knowing and approving nods from their friends who are Boston College, Holy Cross oregon Georgetown alums. There’s baseball, and determination is "American Catholic wrong baseball."

Whatever the Catholic faithful successful Africa deliberation of Cubs-White Sox chatter, oregon what the caller pope’s aged Peruvian diocesan flock makes of the dissection successful the American Catholic media of "Bishop Bob’s" prime of the sanction Leo and immoderate "Rerum Novarum" is, it’s a bully stake that astir of the world’s 1.4 cardinal Catholics are successful a "wait and see" mode, relieved that it didn’t instrumentality agelong —perhaps a small side-eyed astatine the prime of an American but reassured by the evident emotion for him from his Peruvian "family"— and that everyone with a reddish chapeau appears to beryllium blessed adjacent arsenic the tens of thousands successful St. Peter’s Square thundered their applause. But for the procreation of boomers astir his property of 69, the astonished absorption is astatine the precise thought that 1 of our fig is the heir to Saint Peter’s ngo arsenic the "rock" upon which Christ’s religion would beryllium built. 

POPE LEO XIV CALLS THIS A CHALLENGE TO ‘HUMAN DIGNITY’ IN FIRST ADDRESS TO CARDINALS

The caller pope is fractional a twelvemonth older than I am, and frankincense an "OK Boomer" American Catholic, though 1 with a missionary’s bosom and a zeal to service the poor. He volition not, however, beryllium capable to (or possibly privation to) flight his 1960s’ and 1970s’ upbringing, volition get "Laugh In" references, Farah Fawcett posters, Saturday Night Fever (especially John Travolta’s older member who discontinue the priesthood and the daze that sent though the family) and Jaws. That’s each caller for a pope, I think. I person nary thought which, if any, American media helium reads present oregon if helium follows the MLB standings oregon the NFL draft. But helium astir surely is, precise much, a "Wonder Years" kid —a notation to the 1988 TV bid astir being an American kid of the ‘60s starring Fred Savage and Danica McKellar that began successful 1988 and ran six years. 

Pope Leo volition astir surely person been an altar lad erstwhile the large power from Latin to English for the Mass was made, a rug-pull which near those of america who did the enactment to memorize the Latin beyond "mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa" but didn’t get to usage it for long, if astatine all, feeling aggrieved.

Pope Leo knows the large worldly —he’s a canon lawyer aft all— but besides the tiny worldly of American Catholicism specified arsenic that altar boys successful America usually got tipped astatine weddings, forgotten astatine funerals and that Stations of the Cross connected Good Fridays are a large deal.  

If Chicago parochial schools were similar those successful Ohio, the classes were big, often 40 oregon more, but the sisters and their laic colleagues kept order. (Yes, they did, and not with overmuch difficulty.)  The signifier play "Late Night Catechism" nails those days and those schools, and if that "one sister" amusement puts connected a tally adjacent you, it’s a amended work connected the caller pope’s upbringing than thing successful the American press.

In our youth, priests came to meal and had a fewer drinks before, during and after. They were bully men, mean guys, but important figures to beryllium respected and the location cleaned earlier they came. "Father" usually handed retired the study cards successful simple school. 

There was, successful 2 words, "deference and respect" erstwhile successful their presence, and bid earlier and during their visits oregon appearances, whether connected playgrounds, gyms oregon schoolhouse PTA oregon parish assembly meetings. As a young nonrecreational successful the Beltway successful the aboriginal ‘80s, my friends from the aged schoolhouse gathered to invited the monsignor erstwhile helium came to town…because that is what you did for the priests and sisters who ran the religion (and the schools and the hospitals) successful the enveloping civilization of American Catholicism which cocooned younker successful those turbulent years. The atrocious scandals concerning the maltreatment of children surely happened, and are crimes which person scarred truthful many, but the archetypal "men successful black" were past and present overwhelmingly bully men and existent to their sacrificial vows. 

Leo the XIV astir surely recalls wherever helium was erstwhile St. John Paul the Great was shot. He volition retrieve it with a clarity that inactive shocks. And I conjecture helium volition revere St. John Paul the Great. Because that saint worked with Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Margaret Thatcher to assistance Lech Walesa bring down archetypal the communist governments of the Warsaw Pact on with the Wall and past the full "Evil Empire."

What Pope Leo thinks of his predecessor’s woody with the Chinese Communist Party I bash not know, but I commune helium conveys to General Secretary Xi Jinping that the imprisoned dissident, and devout Catholic, Jimmy Lai, should beryllium freed and sent to the United Kingdom for attraction rapidly oregon absorption from the "invisible divisions" of the pope volition go precise visible, precise quickly. 

I commune arsenic good that helium corrects for Pope Francis’ inexplicable antagonism towards immoderate of the large leaders of American Catholicism of the past quarter-century and elevates Archbishops Charles Chaput and José Horacio Gomez to the College of Cardinals arsenic Francis ought to person done much than a decennary ago. The palpable anti-American vibe of Francis was arsenic unnecessary arsenic it was divisive. (Chaput, a Native American present retired arsenic Archbishop of Philadelphia, and Gomez, calved successful Mexico and starring the Los Angeles diocese, bespeak the modern American faithful astatine slightest arsenic overmuch arsenic anyone other successful the College. The erstwhile pope, whitethorn helium remainder successful peace, carried an unprovoked hostility towards them conscionable arsenic helium did to the Latin Mass and its enthusiasts, and adjacent towards the U.S. Church arsenic a whole, an enmity arsenic inexplicable arsenic the galore ambiguities that the casual off-handed remarks of the past pope created crossed continents, dioceses and orders. Bringing Chaput to Rome and leaning connected Gomez for guidance connected West Coast Catholicism arsenic good arsenic Archbishop Cordileone successful San Francisco would beryllium truthful very, precise welcomed and an casual measurement that proclaims "reconciliation." Of people Leo won’t exclude the "progressive" Americans successful the Church leadership, but immoderate balance, please. 

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On knowing Pope Leo: I’d wager helium knows the lyrics of astatine slightest one, if not all, of the taxable songs of Gilligan’s Island, Green Acres oregon Mister Ed. I’d emotion to cognize the titles successful his medium postulation gathering particulate determination successful a brother’s attic unless Leo sold it —he mightiness have— to springiness the proceeds to the poor. I don’t deliberation the babies of the American Baby Boom emergence successful the cosmopolitan Church unless they had the communal interaction that came from the communal civilization of the time. 

Most Catholics of each sorts and ages successful America, but particularly those taught by the parochial schools of that era, transportation a cognition of the work owed by the well-off to the poor. My parish —and I would not beryllium amazed if his aged 1 (reportedly closed now)— sponsored astatine slightest 1 exile household from South Vietnam, resettled crossed the U.S. aft their formation pursuing the autumn of Saigon successful 1975. It was an aboriginal acquisition connected the Church’s invited to the refugees who person had to fly tyranny. 

If the caller pope learned to gamble for tiny stakes astatine the summertime parish carnivals that proceed to this time it would beryllium the rule, not the exception. Is helium a Villanova Wildcats hoops seed similar astir Villanova grads I’ve ever met? Who knows what mathematics majors do, but helium astir apt has filled successful his stock of brackets, understands batting averages and possibly watched Saturday Night Live much than a fewer times. What a large (and evangelical) happening it would beryllium to spot the pope courtside astatine a Final Four down the road, though the unit connected the young men from Villanova would skyrocket (as mightiness vocations successful the U.S.)

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The not simply "conventional" wisdom, but the existent "universally held belief" that an American could not beryllium elected pope fell similar galore specified convictions implicit the decades for galore reasons we tin lone conjecture at. But possibly the cleanable campaigner emerged who could delight some those cardinals who wanted some, if not complete, continuity with Francis’ penchant for the migrant and the desperately poor, but besides 1 who assuaged some, if not all, the concerns of those cardinals who recognized a widening disagreement with American Catholicism, a disagreement that could go the benignant of rupture that, if expanded alternatively of bridged, could go imperishable and adjacent schismatic. 

Who knows? Nobody. Not adjacent Pope Leo XIV, I would guess, surrounded arsenic helium is by a satellite connected occurrence and a Vatican heavy successful fiscal chaos. Every sentiment volition beryllium premature until aft 1 oregon 2 consistories —those occasions erstwhile popes adhd to the men successful the College of Cardinals. Pope Leo could bash a batch to repair breaches successful the Church with immoderate aboriginal selections determination which heal divisions portion besides continuing the clasp begun by St. John Paul the Great and continued by Benedict and Francis of a planetary Church that holds up the divinity of Jesus Christ archetypal and ever and usually recalls and broadcasts that the Beatitudes are the speedy hack connected the full of the Gospels. 

Hugh Hewitt is simply a Fox News contributor, and big of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET connected the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast connected Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America connected implicit 400 affiliates nationwide, and connected each the streaming platforms wherever SNC tin beryllium seen. He is simply a predominant impermanent connected the Fox News Channel’s quality roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays astatine 6pm ET. A lad of Ohio and a postgraduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law astatine Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 wherever helium teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous vigor amusement from Los Angeles successful 1990. Hewitt has often appeared connected each large nationalist quality tv network, hosted tv shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for each large American paper, has authored a twelve books and moderated a people of Republican campaigner debates, astir precocious the November 2023 Republican statesmanlike statement successful Miami and 4 Republican statesmanlike debates successful the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his vigor amusement and his file connected the Constitution, nationalist security, American authorities and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump implicit his 40 years successful broadcast, and this file previews the pb communicative that volition thrust his radio/ TV amusement today.

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