CNN
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The newly elected American pope, Robert Prevost, appears to have previously reposted social media posts critical of Vice President JD Vance and the immigration policies of President Donald Trump — views that were in line with his predecessor and could cause friction with the White House.
An X account listed under Prevost’s name did not appear to personally write any of the critical posts, but reposted articles and headlines from others. CNN has reached out to the Vatican, X and friends of Prevost, but has not been able to independently confirm the X account is connected to the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.
Trump said Thursday he was “very happy” about news of the first American pope. It was unclear if he had been told about the apparently critical social media posts, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment about the posts. Vance’s office pointed to a statement the vice president had made earlier, when he posted his congratulations on X.
The posts took aim at past comments from Vance accusing the far left of caring more for migrants than American citizens, as well as the Trump administration’s wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an undocumented immigrant who was residing in Maryland before he was sent to a Salvadoran prison.
The latter was the subject of the most recent critical repost. On April 14, the account reposted an article regarding Abrego Garcia and a piece written by Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar of Washington, DC. The bishop argued: “The federal government has pursued a ‘shock and awe’ campaign of aggressive threats and highly visible operations of questionable legality that go far beyond mere immigration ‘enforcement.’” A judge has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S.
Before that, on Feb. 13, the account shared a letter by former Pope Francis in which he condemned the Trump administration’s mass deportations. Francis especially criticized deporting those who have fled their homelands due to poverty, exploitation and persecution, as damaging to the dignity of men and women.
“An authentic rule of law is verified precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve, especially the poorest and most marginalized. The true common good is promoted when society and government, with creativity and strict respect for the rights of all — as I have affirmed on numerous occasions — welcomes, protects, promotes and integrates the most fragile, unprotected and vulnerable. This does not impede the development of a policy that regulates orderly and legal migration,” Francis wrote.
In another social media entry on Feb. 3, the account reposted another article related to Vance’s assertion in a January Fox News interview that the far left seems “to hate” American citizens and prioritize love and care for migrants above their own family or neighbors.
“There’s this old school – and I think it’s a very Christian concept by the way – that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that,” Vance said.
“They seem to hate the citizens of their own country and care more about people outside their own borders. That is no way to run a society,” he continued.
The article that the X account reposted, written by Kat Armas for the National Catholic Reporter, argues that Vance’s statement “echoes a medieval concept known as ordo amoris — the order of charity” which “feeds the myth that some people are more deserving of our care than others.” The headline reads: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Vance met Pope Francis in Italy hours before his death.
The criticisms extend to Trump’s first presidential campaign, as well. Back in 2015, Prevost also reposted an opinion piece written by Cardinal Timothy Dolan entitled: Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is so problematic.
The account took aim at other political figures, as well. In November 2016, the account reposted an opinion piece that said former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton “alienated” voters, including Democrats, due to the party’s “extreme abortion position.”
The account appears to have been created in 2011, when X was called Twitter. The majority of the posts are reposts of various articles, rather than originally crafted text or content. At one point on Thursday, the account had less than 800 followers, but as of 5 p.m. it has grown to have more than 232k followers.
