Leone! Leone! Leone! Get To Know Pope Leo XIV Who Dares To Criticize Donald Trump

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States as the 267th elected Pope under the name Pope Leo XIV greets thousands of Catholics gathered in St. Peter's Basilica Square, Vatican, Thursday (8/5/2025) local time. (ANTARA/Vatican Media/aa)

JAKARTA The white smoke is billowing, a sign that the Catholic church has a new Pope. The cardinals voted for 69-year-old Robert Francis, as the successor to St. Peter, the 267th to lead the church, replacing Pope Francis, who died last month.

Prevost uses the name Leo XIV and he became the first United States to occupy the role of the Pope. "Leone! Leone! Leone" comes from all people waiting for the new Pope's presence.

Pope Leo XIV was elected on the second day conclave. In his opening speech as a leader, he hinted at Fransiskus' continuation, who died on April 21 at the age of 88.

Meanwhile, thousands of people in St. Peter's Square called for Leo's name, who officially became Pope Francis' replacement. 'Peace is prosperous for you,' are his first words as Pope.

At the age of 68, Leo XIV was younger than his two predecessors when they were elected Popes. Francis was 76, while Benedict XVI was 78 when he first became Pope. However, Leo is older than John Paul II, who was 58 years old when he was appointed Pope and made him one of the youngest whales in modern history.

Born in Chicago in 1955 to mother of Spanish descent and American father of French descent, Provost grew up in his hometown with his two brothers Louis Martin and John Joseph.

The Chicago Sun-Times last week quoted Leo's friends and fellow church congregants as saying that he had dedicated himself to faith and the path to the throne from a young age.

Leo himself graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania in 1977. He also studied religion at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

He was crowned pastor in 1982. Five years later, he earned a doctoral degree and was elected in the same year as mission director for Ordo Agustinus in Illinois, USA.

One of the first things the Pope has done is to choose a new name. This is a tradition that has been going on for a very long time, although it hasn't always been like that. For more than 500 years, the Popes used their own names.

This later turned into a symbolic name to simplify their real name, or to refer to the Pope before. The Pope often chose the names of their predecessors. The reason is a form of respect and admiration, as well as a sign of their desire to follow in their footsteps.

For example, Pope Francis said that his name was taken from Saint Francis Asisi, who left property behind and devoted his life to the poor. The late was also inspired by his Brazilian friend, Cardinal Claudio Humes.

So far the Pope has not provided an explanation of why he decided to choose the name Leo XIV. But what is certain is that Leo's name has been used by many whales. The last one to use the name Leo is Pope Leo XIII, an Italian with the birth name Vincenzo Gioaccino Pecci.

He was elected in 1878, and became the successor to the 256th St. Peter and led the Catholic Church until his death in 1903. He is remembered as a Pope dedicated to social policy and justice, especially to fight for the rights of workers.

"Until then, the church hierarchy tends to be identified with the upper class, so Leo XIII has turned his attention to the church, and of course many whales have since built it," said Father James Bretzke, professor of theology at John Carroll University to AlJazeera.

Leo is believed to be following in the footsteps of Francis. The late Pope is seen as a transformational figure who takes the church in a progressive direction and focuses on fighting for the rights of the poor and marginalized.

"Let's hear Pope Francis' weak but always brave voice, who bless Roma and the world on Easter morning," Leo said.

In his last Easter message, days before his death, Francis called for peace and a ceasefire in the Middle East.

Church leaders are not politicians, but religions are closely related to public affairs. Leo himself has started providing clues about his political direction for years, especially in advocates for migrant rights.

He is considered a figure who supports the sustainability of Fransiskus reform in the Catholic Church. Leo is also believed to have the same view as Fransiskus about migrants.

In 2015, Leo shared an article by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who criticized Donald Trump's anti-immigration proposal, which at that time was still a presidential candidate.

In February, he reappeared to circumvent Trump's government's immigration policies, highlighting Vice President JD Vance's argument that people should love others more closely than foreigners.

As a cardinal, Leo did not hesitate to oppose Vice President JD Vance's view. He re-uploaded a social media platform post X criticizing the deportation of a US citizen to El Salvador by the Trump administration, and shared critical comments in writing about Fox News TV interviews with JD Vance.

Leo shared an article stating: "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus did not ask us to determine the ranking of our love for others."