Cupich praises Leo
'We wanted somebody who was going to continue the work of Pope Francis.'
Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago is singing the praises of Leo XIV.
In an interview with left-wing America Magazine Sunday, Cupich heralded Leo as the continuation of his immediate predecessor.
“It was also very clear that we wanted somebody who was going to continue the work of Pope Francis,” Cupich said while speaking of his fellow cardinals.
“There was no interest at all in diverting attention away from that or moving in a different direction. There was a real fondness for Pope Francis that people carried into our discussions.”
On social media today, neo-conservatives and semi-Trads continued to claim Leo as one of their own. Dozens of influencers posted images of Latin Masses being held in Rome this past weekend, the permission for which was likely given as a concession during the conclave.
The PR campaign currently being carried out by Trad Inc. will probably drag on for the foreseeable future. My suggestion? Tune out completely, as you will likely walk away thinking this man will be the next Pope St. Pius X.
Beautiful vestments, nice pectoral crosses, and the “smells and bells” of the Traditional Liturgy are nice and all, but claiming that “we’re back” because Leo said some prayers in Latin and took a tour of the papal palace is absurd, not to mention a dangerous act of self-delusion.
I obviously pray that Leo — who seems like an amiable man — will bring the Church “back” to where it needs to be, but you won’t see me jumping for joy simply because he says and does a few things that Benedict XVI also did.
In any case, Cupich was not done praising him:
“Pope Leo made clear in his remarks that he is for a synodal church. He in fact demonstrated that with the cardinals the other day by, after giving brief remarks, sitting there and listening for about an hour and a half to the cardinals raising issues. So that’s what the synodal church is about; it’s about teaching but also about listening. He demonstrated himself that he is for a synodal church.”
Cupich also commented on how Leo might interact with Donald Trump:
“I think that he’s going to treat him with respect as an elected leader of a country. He is going to do that with all of the leaders because he wants to make sure that he builds bridges. I think that he’ll speak his mind. Pope Francis spoke his mind. I think he will carry on the agenda that Pope Francis had, and the Holy See has had, for many decades.”
Read the rest here.
Cupich also gave these notable remarks to CBS on Sunday:
"There is, I think, a fresh moment for us to examine, what are the human dimensions of immigration? How do we see global warming impacting us? How the issues related to the sufferings of humanity should impact all of us and make all of us aware and participate in solutions.”
"I think [Leo’s] going to be a voice for all of those things, simply because we're talking about, in many ways, the survival of the human race.”
Click here to watch Cupich provide additional comments about Leo while part of a panel discussion in Rome a day after the conclave. He was seated next to other liberal American cardinals, most of whom have ties to the late Theodore McCarrick.