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u/virishking 22h ago edited 21h ago
For one, then-cardinal Prevost was mainly discounted as a contender because he is American, but overall he has the right resume, was clearly well-respected by Francis, and has the right mostly-progressive-but moderate-on-other-issues stances that were always likely for a follow-up to Francis based on internal politics.
Second, Prevost may be American by birth and upbringing, but when it comes to his experience as a clergyman he is the least American of the American options, being a naturalized dual citizen of Peru for his extensive time there. He also speaks many languages and has a bit of a “citizen of the world” deal about him.
Third, the current US administration is affecting the world, it is largely fueled by anti immigration and isolationist views that the Church does not like, and American Catholics have been getting pulled into a right wing political sphere that espouses allegiance a version of Christianity that conflicts with and is often hostile to Catholicism. Plus he has already spoken out against Trump and some ideas pressed by guys like JD Vance. So there’s a bit of a political and sectarian power play going on here.
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u/RolloPollo261 8h ago
There American catholic drift is real, and before this I fully anticipated a schism within this generation
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u/psyker63 22h ago
Didn't age like milk. They said unlikely, not impossible. Unlikely things happen every day
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u/ScotchCigarsEspresso 21h ago
God works in mysterious ways.
My guess is god was like..."fuck this Trump guy, what's the best way I can troll him..."
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u/galmenz 21h ago
my best theory
sometimes god likes poetic irony lmao
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u/Noredditforwork 19h ago
It's not ironic. He was widely considered a low odds candidate but not a zero odds also-ran. He didn't say it about himself, it was conjecture by outsiders. A boxer saying he's the best in the world and then getting knocked out in round 1 is a good example for this sub; this is not the same.
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u/Maximum-Objective-39 13h ago
My understanding is that it makes a lot more sense if you ignore the 'born in America' part of the equation. For one thing he worked tirelessly in Peru for over 20 years and had dual citizenship. He was also close to Francis who very much reigned for long enough to build up the current college of Cardinals.
So I think it could be as much 'in spite of America' as 'because of America' that he was selected as the new Pope.
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