Axar.az presents an article “Pope Bob” by John Samuel Tieman.

My wife and I call him “Pope Bob”. Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.

I never thought I'd see an American pope. Sort of American. He's spent two-thirds of his life abroad. But he was born and raised in and around Chicago. An Augustinian, he did his novitiate right here in my hometown, St. Louis. When I heard him speak English, I realized that his accent and mine are the same Midwestern accent.

What I like about the guy, however, is that he gives the world a vision of an American who is both sophisticated and down to earth. In contrast to Donald Trump, Leo is multi-lingual, sees poverty through a multi-dimensional lens, and has a nuanced vision of social justice. And he likes baseball. Let's think about this list.

I was at dinner a while ago. I met up with a few folks I've known for decades. One woman, who sat right across from me, has never left St. Louis. We were in a Mexican restaurant. Our waitress came up, and I could tell from her accent that she was from Mexico. I used to live in Mexico City. I spoke to her in Spanish. My friend was startled. She asked the waitress, in English of course, “Is he really speaking a language?” The waitress said simply, “He's just speaking to me.” We had exchanged pleasantries. I'm not sure what my companion thought, that I'd speak gibberish to the waitress? In any case, my childhood friend had never lived in an environment wherein people just commonly speak more than one language. She's not unusual. Indeed, she's a fairly typical American.

I don't blame my fellow St. Louisans for their monolingualism. Multilingualism is generally a matter of need. We're something like a thousand miles from Mexico, and our other neighbor to the north, Canada, speaks English. Or, well, most of them do. But it's more than simply that need. Americans generally don't value multilingualism. We think everyone else should speak English. Indeed, sometimes we look down on multilingualism. I know a man who vacationed in Puerto Rico. He came home angry because “the beaners” spoke Spanish as their first language. When I was a student, undergraduate programs required a second language. My M. A. required another, and my Ph. D. program required yet another. Such requirements are getting rarer in America. Nonetheless, most think of multilingualism as an artifact of higher education. I taught at a translator's institute in Mexico City. There multilingualism is considered a secretarial skill. (No offense to secretaries.)

Another thing. Pope Bob sees poverty through a multi-dimensional lens. For starters, there's his name in religion, Leo XIV, a clear reference to Pope Leo XIII. Popularly known as the "Pope Of The Workers", Leo XIII's encyclical, “Rerum Novarum”, established modern Catholic social teaching, commonly referred to as the “social gospel.” It's worth noting that the American pope is viewed as a moderate in such issues. But such moderation, such a refined view, this alone distinguishes him from Pres. Trump and the MAGA world. It's also worth keeping in mind that, while Pope Leo XIV is American-born, he was a bishop in Peru. Indeed, he is a dual citizen of the United States and Peru. As of this writing, I don't know if he has ever said it, but his actions as bishop show a “preferential option for the poor”, meaning he prioritizes the well-being of the poor and the helpless.

To Pope Leo, God demands preferential care for the most vulnerable, for the marginalized, for the needs and rights of the poor. This informs his nuanced vision of social justice. Such loving care puts him in sharp contrast with Pres. Trump and Vice-President J. D. Vance. While still a bishop, Leo XIV expressed sympathy for George Floyd. He has criticized the immigration policies of The Trump Administration.

But mostly I am just glad that the world will see an American who has subtle views of the world and even does stuff like, you know, read. And speaks several languages. He's an American who sees racism as systemic. He doesn't see poverty as a moral fault of the poor person. I'm not saying that Pope Leo XIV is perfect. His views on homosexuality are a bit retrograde, or so it seems as of this early writing. But I am saying that the world will see an American-born man who, unlike so many MAGA Americans, is sophisticated.

And down to earth. So I will pray for him. And I will pray for the strength to forgive The Holy Father for being a White Sox fan.