Pope Leo XIV must carefully thread needle between Catholic Church's mission, US politics: Experts

In an instant, Cardinal Robert Prevost became the most powerful and influential American Catholic when he was selected to be pope and rechristened Pope Leo XIV on May 8.

But with the United States' standing in the world on edge with President Donald Trump in office, experts say many will be watching the first American to lead the Catholic Church to see how he walks the tightrope between Western politics and his papal duties.

Vatican experts told ABC News that Leo must thread that needle effortlessly, with a focus on leading from a global perspective.

"I suspect he will be scrupulous and careful to avoid the thought that he is an American and not a Christian view," the Rev. Stephen Spahn, an assistant teaching professor of theology at Loyola University Maryland, told ABC News. "He is going to be a bridge builder and build relationships with world leaders broadly."

At the same time, experts predicted Leo will not hesitate to speak out on American matters from his seat when needed.

Spahn said cardinals have always come to their decisions knowing that the man who becomes pontiff will have to work within the geopolitical environment in pushing forward the Catholic Church's mission.

"It's definitely going to trail him. How could it not?" he said of the pope's Americanism. "But the cardinals have said they chose him without any regard to his nationality."

David Gibson, the director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University who has been in Rome all week, told ABC News that cardinals whom he spoke with do not see him as solely American, given his experience as a priest and missionary in South America.

He noted Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis rarely traveled outside of their home countries when they were cardinals and that Leo's expertise on international relations will be beneficial during his tenure.

"I think he does not want to be seen as an American pope," Gibson said.

Both experts said Leo made a telling move when he delivered his first speech from the balcony in St. Peter's Basilica. The speech, which stressed the message of unity and building bridges, was in Italian and Spanish, and he did not publicly speak in English until his homily the next day.

"He made no shoutout to his countryman. We will see more of that," Spahn said.

However, experts said Leo will have to address the issues coming from his homeland at some point.

Gibson said the cardinals he talked to noted that one of the decisions in Leo's selection was not Trump but the growing populist and nationalist movement sweeping the globe.

"In that way, it is an irony that, frankly, the rest of the world was looking to an American as a sign of hope, as someone who can speak for them in an American register rather than act against them," he said. "They looked at him and said, 'OK, you know America, you know how to deal with this particular strong man.'"

Trump, who was vocal against Francis' stance on immigration and the environment, offered congratulatory remarks to Leo after his election, saying the pope's election was a "great honor for our country."

Leo has not immediately talked about the Trump administration since he was elected to the papacy.

However, while he was a cardinal, he appears to have reposted articles that were critical of Vice President JD Vance and Trump's policies.

Gibson said Leo will likely be more judicious with his communications, including social media posts, but will likely still have a voice in international affairs.

"He will be like Francis, where he will message the Vatican's voice," he said. "[The Vatican is] certainly ready for it. They have been dealing with Trump for years. They don't get into back-and-forths. They will just make their position clear."

Spahn agreed and likened Leo's relationship with American leaders to the one he has with his students.

"As a professor, I want to build bridges with my students. I want to communicate that, but when they submit a paper, I'm taking out a red pen and I'm critiquing them," he said.

At the same time, the Trump administration will likely maintain a friendly relationship with Leo during his "honeymoon" period as a matter of respect and to keep controversy down, Spahn argued.

In one of his last actions, Francis wrote a letter to bishops that rebuked Vance's interpretation of the Latin phrase "ordo amoris." Vance contended in a Fox News interview that the idea meant that one must love his or her family first before the community and said he disagreed with Francis.

Vance congratulated Leo's election on X, posting, "I'm sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church."

"I thought that the vice president's congratulatory statement was generous and warm, and from his vantage point, there is no point in picking a fight," Spahn said.

Gibson and Spahn both noted that Leo has been pushing that message of building bridges since his appointment and will offer guidance with no judgment.

"One thing he made clear is he keeps repeating peace," Gibson said. "Every pope tries to do that and wants to do that. But if there is an opportunity to engage with the U.S. administration in peace, he will do that. The pope's door is always open."