The Indo Daily Extra: Pope Leo XIV – A progressive papacy or a rollback to more traditional Catholic values?
But why him? Why now? And what does it mean that the next leader of 1.4 billion Catholics comes not from the Global South, where the faith is growing, but from the backyard of Donald Trump?
Today on this extra episode of the Indo Daily, Ellen Coyne is joined by Michael Kelly, director of public affairs for Aid to the Church in Need, who has covered two previous conclaves, to ask whether the election of 69-year-old Pope Leo XIV will be a continuation of Pope Francis' gentle revolution or a rollback to more traditional Catholic values.
The Indo Daily Extra: Pope Leo XIV – A progressive papacy or a rollback to more traditional Catholic values?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Clip of glam Sydney Sweeney expertly shooting targets goes viral as her ‘secret MAGA life' emerges after anti-woke ad
A CLIP of Sydney Sweeney blasting targets at a shooting range has gone viral - as she's adopted by the MAGA movement and praised by Trump. The video resurfaced after President Trump heaped praise on the actress's "anti-woke" American Eagle jeans advert and she was revealed to be a registered Republican. Advertisement 9 A clip of Sydney Sweeney practicing at a firing range has resurfaced in light of the revelation of her Republican leanings Credit: instagram/@sydney_sweeney/ 9 Sydney had never revealed how she voted, though people are now seeing clues from over the years Credit: Instagram 9 Sydney Sweeney is the star of American Eagle's latest, controversial ad campaign Credit: American Eagle The clip from 2019 shows a younger Sydney expertly burying rounds into a series of human-shaped dummies at the firing range. She appears well-practiced, skilfully banging two bullets into each in quick succession without so much as a flinch. At the end, she flashes a smile to the camera and holsters the weapon. Since Sydney starred in the controversial American Eagle jeans ad, clues that point to her living a secret MAGA life have emerged. Advertisement The 27-year-old grew up in a small, Catholic, Trump-supporting town in Washington with her father, mother and younger brother Trent - and has previously said she had a "religious" upbringing. After accepting her breakout Euphoria role, Sydney revealed she had been nervous about how her community would react. She told Stylecaster in 2021: "What's crazy - and this is going to sound really bad- is when I first got sent the audition, I was too nervous to go do it. "I grew up in a smaller town with my family, who are a little more conservative, and I was like: 'They're going to kill me if I do something like this.'" Advertisement A surprise party she threw for her mom's 60th birthday drew considerable attention when pics were shared of the guests wearing MAGA-style hats and "Blue Lives Matter" shirts. And now, she has starred in the American Eagle ad which has seriously riled voices on the left, who claim it promotes a racial ideal, but delighted the right who hail it as the "end of woke advertising". Trump pours praise on Sydney Sweedy amid 'good jeans' American Eagle ad storm as her voter registration revealed The ad makes a play on the words "jeans" and "genes" - and the main tagline is "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans". It's been claimed that the promotion of Sydney's blonde hair and blue eye traits suggests they are superior to alternative genes. Advertisement Sydney hasn't publicly commented on the furore stirred up by the ad, but made her first appearance at a screening of her upcoming film "Americana" on Monday. She was heckled by a fan who shouted: "Stop the ad, that is being racist," according to TMZ. 9 Sydney flashes a smile after smashing it at the firing range Credit: instagram/@sydney_sweeney/ 9 Sydney sweeney caused controversy by posting Maga-themed pics from from her mom's 60th Credit: Instagram Advertisement 9 Sydney Sweeney is most famous for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus Credit: Instagram However, she got into her vehicle without responding. American Eagle defended its advertisement, but removed the video from its social media accounts. It then emerged over the weekend that the actress has been a registered Republican since June 2024 - and she soon received praise right from the top. Advertisement President Trump was delighted when a reporter told him about Sydney's political leanings, and promptly declared that he "loves" her "fantastic" ad. He said on Sunday night: "That's one I wouldn't have known but I'm glad you told me that. 9 Trump's Truth Social post on Monday, where he doubled down on his support for Sydney Sweeney Credit: X 9 Sydney Sweeney was revealed to be a registered Republican since June 2024 Credit: Getty Advertisement 9 The ad's tagline 'Sydney Sweeney had great jeans' ignited major controversy Credit: American Eagle 'If Sydney Sweeny is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.' Trump then doubled down on his enthusiastic support and cemented the American Eagle ad as a bastion of the "anti-woke" agenda. He declared in a Monday morning Truth Social post that the campaign is "the HOTTEST" and went on to slam "woke" companies like "stupid" Jaguar and Bud Light for their own advertising. Advertisement Jaguar recently put out an ad with models dressed in brightly-coloured, flamboyant clothing - but no cars or the brand's logo. Trump insisted the British manufacturer, whose CEO resigned on last week, should have learned from Bug Light - which suffered a boycott and major losses after an advert featuring a transgender influencer. The President's conclusion: "Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be."
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
Pope Leo exhorts crowd of million Catholic youth to spread their faith
Pope Leo has celebrated the largest event yet of his nearly three-month tenure, encouraging a crowd of more than a million Catholic young people gathered in a field on the outskirts of Rome to spread their faith. Amid shouts of "Viva il Papa" (Long live the Pope) from young people dressed in colourful t-shirts and waving national flags at the Tor Vergata field, Leo led a mass that capped a special week of events meant to energise Catholic youth. "Dear young people ... spread your enthusiasm and the witness of your faith to everyone you meet," the Pope said during his sermon for the event. Leo also lamented the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine in an appeal at the end of the mass, and called on the youths to help create a better world. "We are with the young people of Gaza, we are with the young people of Ukraine," the pontiff said. "My young brothers and sisters, you are the sign that a different world is possible," he said. "A world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons but with dialogue." Many of the youths attending the event spent the night outside in the field, to be ready for the Pope's arrival at 7.45am (6.45am Irish time) in advance of heat expected to reach 30C later today. "It's amazing to see just how big the world church is, and how many people are here ... and (are) on fire to see the pope," said Rita Piendl, 19, who came from Germany. "We want to truly spread hope and love to the world and we really want to make a difference for the better," she added. The Catholic Church, which numbers more than 1.4 billion members globally, has grown slightly in recent years but has experienced sliding adherence in Europe. Today's Mass was part of a week-long series of events in Rome for Catholic youth, tied to the ongoing Catholic Holy Year.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Pope Leo tells thousands of youth to build better world
Tens of thousands of young people filled a vast field on the outskirts of Rome to see Pope Leo, in the largest event yet of the new Catholic pontiff's tenure. It forms part of a special weekend aimed at energising Catholic youth. Young people from more than 146 countries were pressed against fences in the Tor Vergata field as Pope Leo toured the crowd in his white popemobile in late afternoon. The pope, smiling broadly, waved, offered blessings and occasionally caught small stuffed animals and national flags thrown by the youth as he passed by. "Dear young people ... my prayer for you is that you may persevere in faith, with joy and courage," Pope Leo said in remarks later to the crowd. "Seek justice in order to build a more humane world," he said. Adding: "Serve the poor, and so bear witness to the good that we would always like to receive from our neighbours." Many of the youth attending the event spent all day waiting in the field in heat approaching 30C. Organisers used water cannons to help cool down people in the crowd. "For me, it is an incredible emotion because I had never been to an event like this before," said Maya Remorini, from Italy's Tuscany region. She said her group had arrived around 5am that morning. Many of the youth are expected to sleep in the field overnight, waiting for a second chance to see Pope Leo tomorrow morning, when the pope is due to celebrate a Catholic mass. The weekend events are tied to the ongoing Catholic Holy Year, which the Vatican said has attracted some 17 million pilgrims to Rome since it started at the end of 2024. Pope Leo, the first US-born pope, was elected on 8 May by the world's cardinals to replace the late Pope Francis.
