Religion and Faith

Within just a few hours of white smoke rising out of the Vatican, MAGA is already fuming over the new pope.

Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new leader of the Catholic Church Thursday, becoming the first American pontiff. But like any American, Pope Leo XIV seems to have his own opinions about President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. (Spoiler alert: He doesn’t seem like a fan!)

Supporters of President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement have expressed their opposition to the new leader of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Prevost, who was elected pope on Thursday.

Last month, Prevostreposted a post on the social platform X sharing a piece by Bishop Menjivar that criticized Trump's policy on immigrants.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected the new pope, set to succeed the late Pope Francis and mark the first time an American has served as pope.

The Vatican announced the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, shortly after white smoke began pouring from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV.

There’s a lot of holy rollers out there.

Bettors have placed millions of dollars in wagers on the papal conclave, and not just on who will be the next man to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

Online betting prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi started taking bets on who will succeed Pope Francis within hours of his April 21 death, raking in a combined $17 million and counting, according to the Wall Street Journal.

During his National Day of Prayer speech on Thursday, President Donald Trump used the occasion to promise that tax-cut legislation would work its way through Congress.

The president seemed to joke that Americans "might give up your religion" if the Republican-backed budget bill doesn't pass.

Trump said with a smile, "This is a religious ceremony but that's part of the religion, because if your taxes go up 68 percent you might give up your religion. You might have no choice. You'll be working too hard to make it...

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the current bookmakers' favorite to be the next pope, is facing renewed scrutiny over a deal he made with China seven years ago.

The 70-year-old Vatican Secretary of State has long been in the running as a contender to replace Pope Francis as the head of the Catholic church, which explains why the 2018 deal he made with the Chinese Communist Party is once again under the spotlight.

Newsweek has contacted the Vatican, via email, for comment.

The Context

President Donald Trump declared that his administration is “bringing religion back to America” during remarks at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, just hours after the Vatican announced Pope Francis’s death.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to assist faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship in their efforts to strengthen American families, promote work and self-sufficiency, and protect religious liberty, it is hereby ordered: