(VATICAN CITY) — Prior to being elected pontiff, Pope Leo XIV had a presence on Twitter, and later X, where he sometimes shared messages that appeared to be critical of some of President Donald Trump’s policies.
Cardinal Robert Prevost appears to have an X account with the handle @drprevost and posted, replied and reposted content since 2011, according to his page.
A picture of Prevost and Pope Francis holding each others arms in their robes inside a church is the profile image for the account.
While most of the new pope’s 439 posts involved posting articles about the latest developments from the Vatican and dioceses from around the world, he did share other posts from time to time dealing with political matters.
He last posted on April 14, when he shared a post from prominent American Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo that criticized Trump and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s controversial immigration policies.
“As Trump & Bukele use Oval to 🤣 Feds’ illicit deportation of a US resident …, once an undoc-ed Salvadorean himself, now-DC Aux +Evelio asks, “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?” Palmo’s post read.
Palmo linked to a Catholic Standard editorial written by Bishop Evelio Menjivar, an auxiliary bishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, Pope Leo’s brother John Prevost in Chicago said immigration is an important issue for his brother.
“I think because the way our country is going, I don’t think he necessarily will always agree [with] what’s happening. I think a big thing for him is immigration and is it right — what’s going on? I think that will be a challenge for him, because I think he’ll say something about it, too.”
Asked about his brother’s X account, John Prevost said, “I know that’s his feelings, but I didn’t know he was putting it out on social media.”
The pope’s last original X post was on Feb. 13, when he posted a link to an America magazine editorial that criticized Vice President JD Vance about his interpretation of the Latin phrase “ordo amoris.” Vance contended in a Fox News interview, that the idea meant that one must love their family first before the community.
Pope Francis sent a letter to bishops after Vance’s comment rebuking that interpretation without naming the vice president.
Pope Leo, however, appeared to criticize Vance directly in a Feb. 3 post, where he linked to a National Catholic Reporter editorial that dismissed the vice president’s stance on immigration.
He shared the headline of the article “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others” and linked to the full story in his post.
Leo had not posted on X between July 2023 and Feb. 3.
The Vatican has not immediately commented about the social media account or posts.
Vance and Trump both congratulated the pope on his election on social media posts.
“I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!” Vance wrote on X Thursday.
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