Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass was a beautiful and moving one, enacted in a spirit of humility with hopes for Church unity.
I was chosen, without any merit of my own. Now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for He wants us all to be united in one family.
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) May 18, 2025
The dignitaries came, lots of kings and queens, and the U.S. was splendidly represented by Vice President J.D. Vance and Mrs. Vance, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mrs. Rubio.
The United States has sent its highest-ranking Catholic officials in government to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican this Sunday, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. pic.twitter.com/trEid9EU3b
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) May 18, 2025
The new pope cordially greeted them, so it appeared that there was mutual good will, making for a great start in relations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio greeting the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Basilica after the Mass for his Inauguration. pic.twitter.com/GHAoeCZsu2
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) May 18, 2025
Following his Inaugural Mass, Pope Leo XIV met with the American delegation: Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife, Jeanette. And then the Pope embraced his brother Lou Prevost and Deborah Prevost. pic.twitter.com/DzAOaXD3Lk
— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) May 18, 2025
But there was one greeting we were watching for, which in the end, really heartened all of us MAGA supporters -- his greeting with his heavy-duty MAGA-supporting older brother, Lou, who apparently accompanied Rubio and Vance.
Lou put out some wild pro-MAGA social media posts earlier, and the press was all over them.
It was obvious he was one of us. You can see why Vance and Rubio would probably have been delighted to have Lou with them.
It obviously meant the pope would have been in contact with MAGA voters even if he was of a more moderate stripe. He'd at least know who we were and where we were coming from, unlike the global elites.
More poignantly, in an interview with the press, which I wrote about here, Lou said he didn't know whether he would ever hear from his brother again, given that he had become the pope, and he and his other brother were just regular guys from Chicago.
The subtext: Would he treat his brother like a pariah because of his MAGA posts, owing to the lefty bishops and papal Curia establishment types he was surrounded by being as Trump-deranged as anyone? A lot of MAGA voters have had this experience, of getting cut off by friends and relatives for our voting choices. We know it's common.
Happily, that was not the case. Lou had nothing to worry about. The new pope's reaction to seeing his brother for the first time since getting elected pope was a great big protocol-breaking brotherly hug:
In an emotional moment, Pope Leo XIV breaks protocol to share an embrace with his older brother Louis after his inaugural Mass. Right after seeing Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the pontiff saw his brother among the delegations in attendance. pic.twitter.com/S5yZ59wMS6
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) May 18, 2025
It was so sweet.
It told us two things: One, the pope doesn't reject people because of their politics, and he doesn't cut off family members. Family is still family, even if one of them ends up a de facto king.
Two: The pope's hug seemed to put the brother first, not himself. While the pope was drawing a lot of attention for being elected pope, the brothers were out there with the press all by themselves, drawing unwanted attention, having to figure out how to protect their brother and their own privacy, their previous tweets scrutinized, while suddenly becoming famous, too. The pope seemed to understand this, and for that, gave a big affirming hug to his brother who stood by him from the states.
What a wonderful pope. This act in particular portends well for his papacy, along with many other things he has already done and will do. I look forward to it.
Image: Screen shot from EWTN video, via X.