Vice President J.D. Vance has called the Catholic Church “so much bigger than politics” as he expressed disappointment about the preoccupation with American politics that has defined the election of Pope Leo XIV.

Louis Prevost defended his inflammatory social media posts, but said he’s been attempting to "bite my tongue" since his younger brother’s surprise election as pope

Pope Leo XIV had deleted his old, personal social media accounts, which featured posts that criticized the Trump administration.

Prior to being elected, Pope Leo XIV had a presence on X, where he sometimes shared messages that appeared to be critical of some of President Donald Trump's policies.

Pope Leo XIV is the first Pope from the Order of St. Augustine, which suggests he will promote peace and dialogue.

“Holy Father, you had me at ‘JD Vance is wrong,’” Colbert quipped as the studio audience roared with cheers.

Averting a financial crisis “will rank among most pressing issues for the new pontiff,” says Charles Gillespie, PhD, professor at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

The first American pope — previously known as Cardinal Robert Prevost — was elected on May 8 Pope Leo XIV has plenty to say about his home country. The first-ever American pope was elected to lead the Catholic church on May 8.