How a War of Words With Donald Trump Has Been the Making of Pope Leo XIV

When Pope Leo XIV was elected in May 2025, many observers expected a quieter pontificate than his predecessor, Francis—a scholar-administrator from Chicago, steeped in liturgical tradition, wearing the red mozzetta and moving into the Apostolic Palace. Early signals suggested a pontificate of restoration rather than revolution.

What he inherited was a church in long retreat. Weekly Mass attendance among American Catholics had fallen from around 55 percent in 1970 to roughly 29 percent, and the ranks of the clergy had thinned in lockstep—from 59,000 priests a half-century ago to around 33,000, alongside an aging corps of 33,000 nuns. Roughly 30 million Americans had left Catholicism outright; for every adult convert the church welcomed each year, about eight walked out the door.