Social media profile associated with Pope Leo XIV lambasted Vance and Trump on immigration matters
The account shared its disapproval of the administration through social media channels.
TroibNews 
A social media account associated with the pope has frequently criticized the Trump administration, particularly Vice President JD Vance, prior to his papacy.
Posts from an account belonging to Robert Prevost—now the Bishop of Rome and recently designated as Pope Leo XIV—reveal the Chicago-born Cardinal sharing an op-ed that rebukes Vance for his views on faith and the stringent immigration policies promoted by Vance and President Donald Trump.
PMG has been unable to verify the account's authenticity independently. The Vatican press office, the Vatican’s embassy to the U.S., the Midwestern Augustinians, and the dioceses in Chicago and Peru have not responded to inquiries.
In mid-April, the account shared a critique of Trump’s meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, referencing an op-ed by auxiliary Catholic Bishop Evelio Menjivar of Washington, D.C., which detailed the plight of migrants who were swiftly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration.
“Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed?” the op-ed that Prevost reposted reads.
Additionally, in February, the account highlighted an article from the National Catholic Reporter, a progressive Catholic publication, titled: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Catholics constitute the largest Christian denomination in the United States, and Trump actively sought their support in pivotal states for the 2024 presidential election, appointing several Catholics, including Vance, to significant Cabinet positions. Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, often criticized the Trump administration and specifically admonished Vance for his interpretation of church teachings on love.
The account has expressed strong opposition to the death penalty and Trump’s rhetoric while advocating for gun control and a more inclusive immigration policy through various tweets dating back to the 2016 presidential campaign and Trump’s initial term.
“It’s time to end the death penalty,” the account tweeted in March 2015.
In 2017, the account retweeted a message from Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, who called on his Senate colleagues to take action on gun control, stating, “your cowardice to act cannot be whitewashed by thoughts and prayers.”
That same year, the account shared a statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that condemned hate in reaction to the violent white supremacist demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia.
It also reposted multiple tweets in May 2020 extending condolences to George Floyd's family, the Minneapolis man whose death at the hands of a police officer sparked widespread protests that summer.
“We need to hear more from leaders in the Church, to reject racism and seek justice,” the account wrote in May 2020.
There has also been speculation about the new pope's voting history. A person matching his name and birthdate, registered to vote in the Chicago suburbs, participated in the 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024 general elections.
This individual also voted in the 2012, 2014, and 2016 GOP primaries, which Republicans have highlighted to assert a connection to the new pope.
Shia Kapos contributed to this story.
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
Posts from an account belonging to Robert Prevost—now the Bishop of Rome and recently designated as Pope Leo XIV—reveal the Chicago-born Cardinal sharing an op-ed that rebukes Vance for his views on faith and the stringent immigration policies promoted by Vance and President Donald Trump.
PMG has been unable to verify the account's authenticity independently. The Vatican press office, the Vatican’s embassy to the U.S., the Midwestern Augustinians, and the dioceses in Chicago and Peru have not responded to inquiries.
In mid-April, the account shared a critique of Trump’s meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, referencing an op-ed by auxiliary Catholic Bishop Evelio Menjivar of Washington, D.C., which detailed the plight of migrants who were swiftly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration.
“Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed?” the op-ed that Prevost reposted reads.
Additionally, in February, the account highlighted an article from the National Catholic Reporter, a progressive Catholic publication, titled: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Catholics constitute the largest Christian denomination in the United States, and Trump actively sought their support in pivotal states for the 2024 presidential election, appointing several Catholics, including Vance, to significant Cabinet positions. Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, often criticized the Trump administration and specifically admonished Vance for his interpretation of church teachings on love.
The account has expressed strong opposition to the death penalty and Trump’s rhetoric while advocating for gun control and a more inclusive immigration policy through various tweets dating back to the 2016 presidential campaign and Trump’s initial term.
“It’s time to end the death penalty,” the account tweeted in March 2015.
In 2017, the account retweeted a message from Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, who called on his Senate colleagues to take action on gun control, stating, “your cowardice to act cannot be whitewashed by thoughts and prayers.”
That same year, the account shared a statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that condemned hate in reaction to the violent white supremacist demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia.
It also reposted multiple tweets in May 2020 extending condolences to George Floyd's family, the Minneapolis man whose death at the hands of a police officer sparked widespread protests that summer.
“We need to hear more from leaders in the Church, to reject racism and seek justice,” the account wrote in May 2020.
There has also been speculation about the new pope's voting history. A person matching his name and birthdate, registered to vote in the Chicago suburbs, participated in the 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024 general elections.
This individual also voted in the 2012, 2014, and 2016 GOP primaries, which Republicans have highlighted to assert a connection to the new pope.
Shia Kapos contributed to this story.
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
