Pope Leo XIV, with his American background, is likely to prioritize the Vatican’s alignment with the West in general, rather than neutrality, and may use his influence to promote peace in

The motto of one newly elected American world leader: " Fight! " The other introduced himself to the world with his first public word as pope: “ Peace."

As contemporary as they sound, these lines come from his 19th-century predecessor, Pope Leo XIII. The encyclical was entitled “ Rerum Novarum ,” after its opening words, which my prosaic Latin renders as “new things.”

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including the election of the first American pope and his potential impact on U.

How Pope Leo XIV chooses to tackle critical topics from same-sex marriage to women in the church remains to be seen, but those who know him say he’ll likely continue his predecessor’s path in his own image.

The historic election of Pope Leo XIV as the first U.S.-born pope is already upending an earlier calculus about U.S. conservative opposition to reform.