Color me surprised and grateful for a column in the National Catholic Reporter that calls out Christopher Hale, a former congressional candidate and now full-time Catholic Democrat influencer.
John Grosso writes:
During the June 14 “No Kings Day” rallies that opposed Trump’s increasingly anti-democratic agenda, Hale tweeted an image of Leo with a caption ” ‘Jesus Christ is our only king.’ — Pope Leo.”
Someone unfamiliar with the situation could easily stumble upon that post and assume Leo said that in direct opposition to Trump — or that Leo endorsed the rallies. But he didn’t. There’s no evidence that Leo said this at all and certainly not in this context. And yet, Hale’s tweet has nearly 500,000 views.
This is what Hale does on his social media and his “Letters from Leo” blog: he frames everything as binary: Leo vs. Trump and the Republican Party. Good vs. evil. It’s a highly effective way to gain social media engagement, but it is a disingenuous way to preach the Gospel. Hale takes what Leo says and explains to his readers how it is anti-Trump instead of pro-Jesus. In seeking to make Leo more appealing to progressives, he frames Leo as simply another prominent supporter of the Democratic Party.
Thank you. Most popes take great care to avoid direct political conflict, especially with elected leaders. Churchmen also try, sometimes to their detriment, to appear evenhanded when it comes to political divides. Some argue that Pope Leo’s social media record from before his pontificate indicates that he is clearly in the Francis mold. And a certain group devoted to Francis seem keen to draw sharp lines where Leo is intentionally leaving a blank. Pope Leo spent the first months of his pontificate preaching Gospel basics and has so far signaled an intention to deal fairly and openly with the church’s various internal camps. Pope Francis, meanwhile, had immediately signaled that he wanted a change from Benedict XVI’s style and priorities. Grosso characterizes Leo, I think correctly, as “a man clearly intent on seeing unity amid the divisiveness.” He should be met with good faith and not have his words manipulated.