@ashleyjames: Last week the world got its first American pope, Pope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost), and I was on This Morning as he held his first mass. I’m going to start by saying that I’m not religious, but I respect everyone’s faith and right to choose what they believe - and I know that for billions of people around the world this is a momentous occasion. Catholic or not, the Pope has huge influence in shaping what’s considered acceptable globally - so there are rightly many questions about his values and what kind of leader he’ll be. Especially at a time when right-wing politics is gaining momentum around the world, threatening the rights of women and the LGBTQ+ community. Since filming, we’ve seen Pope Leo XIV affirm that family is “founded on the stable union between a man and a woman,” and that “the unborn and elderly enjoy dignity as God’s creatures.” So I don’t have high hopes for progression - these are consistent with traditional Catholic teachings on marriage and abortion. Women are still not allowed to be priests (or Popes, lol) in the Catholic Church - meaning men are still deciding what happens to us and our bodies. And in a news conference in Rome in 2023, he affirmed that the Church’s teaching against female priests “has been spelled out very clearly,” expressing broader concerns about “clericalizing” women, saying it “would not resolve issues within the Church” and “might create a new problem.” 🫣 Let’s see how things progress (or don’t) no he is pope. He has been vocal in his support of refugees though - I mean it’s hard to imagine how someone religious couldn’t be, but at a time of division that gives me hope. ❤️

Ashley James

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Wednesday 21 May 2025 19:26:19 GMT