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The leader of the Roman Catholic Church does not get paid what many consider a traditional salary. Instead, the Vatican provides for the pontiff's needs, from housing, food, transportation and other expenses in the form of stipends and allowances. The Vatican, referred to as "the world's smallest country," is sustained by "an economy that relies on a combination of donations, private enterprises, and investments to generate revenue," according to Investopedia. Pope Francis declined any sort of salary when he took office in 2013, The Economic Times reported back in February, adding that the pontiff at the time had a net...

VATICAN — In an aerial display that delighted millions, the Vatican conclave released a bald eagle firing an AR-15 into the air to signal that an American pope had been selected. Sources say the crowd roared as the majestic eagle soared across the sky and the sweet sounds of 5.56 ammunition cracked in the air. "Yee-haw! We got ourselves a new Pope!" said thousands of Americans, who were also shooting their AR-15s into the air. "USA! USA! USA!" Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who presided over the conclave, said the epic display was mandated by Pope John Paul II in 2002 to...

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV spent years amplifying criticism of President Trump’s policies on social media — with the Catholic Church’s first American leader taking particular aim at the Republican’s immigration policies. Leo XIV, until Thursday known as Robert Francis Prevost, 69, shared or retweeted the opinions of colleagues using his verified account @drprevost on X, formerly known as Twitter. His final X post before being elected by the Conclave in the Sistine Chapel was a retweet of a message from Philadelphia-based Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo, who on April 14 slammed Trump’s partnership with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele on...

WORLD — With the announcement of the election of Pope Leo XIV, Catholics around the globe were reportedly frantically googling the new pontiff to find out if he's Catholic. Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, originally from Chicago, Illinois, became the first American to be selected to serve as Pope, leading devout members of the church to quickly look up his background to find out if he was also the first Catholic to serve in the position in over a decade. "It'll be a great chance of pace if he is," said lifelong Catholic Dave Battaglia. "Throwing in some variety every now...

... His ringtone plays the opening riffs of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” He incurred $20,000 in roof damage from Hurricane Ian. And until recently, anyone could read his Facebook posts, which included vulgar potshots at Nancy Pelosi and her husband and a pronouncement that supporters of Joseph R. Biden Jr. suffered from a “mental affliction.” ...Among other things, he reposted an old video of Ms. Pelosi, under which the author of the original post referred to her with a vulgar sexist epithet. The original post also insinuated that Ms. Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was gay, ...By Monday, Mr. Prevost was a...

[Catholic Caucus] As a priest, Pope Leo XIV opposed the Western media’s pro-LGBT lies and promoted truthPope Leo XIV has understood what Pope Francis did not: it is precisely the hard teachings of the Gospel that draw people to salvation through Jesus Christ.While there are only a few recorded examples of Pope Leo XIV’s history with LGBTQ issues, his statements stand in stark contrast with those of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who early in his pontificate wondered aloud, “If a person is gay … who am I to judge?” He later allegedly told a young man, “God made you gay.”At...

Pope Leo XIV urged reporters to do their part in protecting the “precious gift of free speech” in his first address to the media on Monday – and also called on governments around the world to release journalists they have imprisoned. The pope called for an improved model of communication that “does not seek consensus at all costs, does not use aggressive words, does not follow the culture of competition, and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it.” “The Church must face the challenges posed by the times. In the same...

The Vatican and President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Monday that Pope Leo XIV had spoken with the Ukrainian head of state, offering support to find an end to the ongoing invasion of his country. Vatican News, the official news outlet of the Holy See, offered few details on the conversation, reinforcing Zelensky’s public comments on the matter. Zelensky published an image on social media of himself apparently taking the pontiff’s phone call, praising Pope Leo for a “very warm and truly substantive” conversation. “I thanked His Holiness for his support of Ukraine and all our people. We deeply value his...

New Pope Leo XIV’s brother shared gross post calling Nancy Pelosi a ‘drunk c—‘ One of Pope Leo XIV’s brothers put up a series of pro-Trump posts online — and shared one that called Rep. Nancy Pelosi a “drunk c—” — before his sibling was elected pontiff, according to a report. A cache of Facebook posts from Louis Prevost, 73, indicate the pope’s sibling is an ardent MAGA fan, the Daily Beast reported. In one lewd post, he reportedly shared a video of Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaking in 1996 with the caption, “These f–king liberals crying about tariffs...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV: the Man, the Priest, and the Bishop - Who is He? An Assessment, by RORATE CÆLI Who Is He?by Serre Verweijfor Rorate CæliMay 10, 2025Robert Francis Prevost has become Pope Leo XIV. Before May 8, 2025, most people did not know the name Prevost, but now he is the chief shepherd of over a billion Catholics. Both orthodox Catholics and modernists have been celebrating, while there have been naysayers on both sides, too. This reflects the fact Prevost was touted as a ‘compromise candidate’ and pushed by strong prelates on both sides. Both the orthodox and...

Prevost may be regarded a centrist but his older brother Lou is a huge Trump supporter! And, Lou doesn’t hide his affection for President Trump. Lou posted this last month on Facebook! Here are a few of Lou’s thoughts.

While the questions have been abbreviated, his answers are included here in full.

Because this is a podcast, I'll provide a summary: Sowell says Robert Francis Prevost was elevated to Pope because he is an able administrator, a voice of calmness, and accumulated a cosmopolitan resume. His elevation to Pope followed another who presided over social activism and moral drift. Sowell says Pope Francis gained applause from secular institutions and the elite of the world, at the cost of shrinking congregations; and, the Cardinal-Electors chose Prevost for preservation rather than change.

VATICAN CITY — Two-and-a-half years ago, Pope Francis was trying to fill a big job. For decades, that position — heading the powerful office that helps vet and select bishops — had gone to consummate Vatican insiders. But Francis had staked his papacy on expanding the boundaries of the Catholic Church. And he had his eye on a surprise contender: an American-born missionary operating in the coastal plains of Peru, some 6,000 miles from Rome.“You know that I am very happy in Peru,” the missionary, then-Bishop Robert Prevost, recalled telling Francis. “But if you ask me to take on a...

“May peace be with you.”That was the first sentence uttered by Pope Leo XIV after he was introduced Thursday as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. From the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, the first American pontiff then reminded the audience that those were also the first words Jesus spoke after His resurrection.“This is the peace of the risen Christ,” the man born Robert Francis Prevost continued, “an unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering.”My eyes and heart welled with pride as I listened to his short speech — as a Catholic, yes, but especially as an...

I say "sort of" because as a Church official, he has not promoted one party or the other, and as a former citizen of Illinois with its non-partisan registration, he's not officially Republican or Democrat. And since he has deliberately avoided partisan identification, it would be misleading to simply say he is a Republican. But, accounting for that inherent inaccuracy, he's a Republican. Maybe you've seen that he voted in a Republican primary; I did and initially I didn't think that much of it. But he voted as a Republican in at least the last three primaries that he voted...

"People are going to be thrilled to hear the pope speak in their language with an American accent," [David] Fink [a professor of religion at Furman University] said.

Donald Trump and Pope Leo. How will they get on? Who will win?

Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected pope and will be known as Pope Leo XIV. The 69-year-old is the first American to become a pontiff and will lead members of the Catholic Church's global community of 1.4bn people. Born in Chicago, he is seen as a reformer and worked for many years as a missionary in Peru before being made an archbishop there. He also has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build bridges in the local Church. Why do popes choose different names? One of the first acts of...