Ever thought the pope would be a subversive figure?

We got another cool papi in the Vatican.

Yas Pope.

I was walking to get my son from school the other day and a neighbor’s babysitter passed by wearing a Pope Francis t-shirt. I thought, “what a cool shirt” — something I never thought I’d think non-ironically.

But here we are.

It’s 2025 and the late Pope Francis, who still believed women shouldn’t even take birth control, is a subversive, liberal pop culture figure for his stance on protecting P@lestinians, his compassion for immigrants, and acceptance of the existence of gay folks. The bar is low. But also Pope Francis did actually model loving compassion and kindness in ways we haven’t seen in most leaders, except like Jimmy Carter.

Now we’ve been granted a new “cool” pope. Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, had a Haitian grandpa, posted anti-JD Vance tweets, and called for world peace and meant it. Dare I say: hallelujah?

I’m a cultural Catholic, a cafeteria Catholic. I pick and choose what I do with my religion. I’m someone who prays, but to Mary. I pray to saints like St. Anthony when I lose something that I need to find. I am a candle-lighting Catholic. I pray for magical and Santeria purposes.

I believe religion can be used for good. I’m a social justice Catholic. I believe in the creativity and purpose behind liberation theology. I’m a Catholic who, no matter what, knows abortion rights are human rights and everyone should be able to access birth control.

Because I’m this sort of Catholic, I wanted my son to do his first communion. I want him to have a spiritual anchor and familiar tools with which to discuss his faith with himself and the world. I figured this time-honored ritual could ground him in this moment while also acting as a marker in his childhood, something to look back upon with warmth.

So a couple of years ago, I started looking around for a church that didn’t openly advertise the March for Life on its website.

Everything in the suburbs felt too conservative. Then my brother found a church in DC about a half hour away that is very Catholic. They use so much incense you need a mask. There’s an organ, a choir, stained glass windows, and a priest who mows the lawn himself and uses the words “equality” and “justice.” So we signed up.

After months of classes, he just got his first communion. I’m glad he got this right of passage while the Church is under the leadership of someone who seems like a good guy. Yes, I would prefer a woman pope, but I know that climate change’ll get us before that ever happens.

And on the subject of “pope,” I saw something on the internet noting that the only way the Church would pick an American pope is if the U.S.’s political power is in decline. The U.S. can’t have all the power! But now that we’re in a weakened position internationally, they’re handing us one of the last untouched bastions of power for our people: the papacy.

Ever the optimist, I wonder if maybe the decline of the U.S. into dictatorship will be a great global equalizer? Maybe this is some other group of peoples’ time to thrive. Or maybe the whole world goes to shit now. Either way, it’s caused an inherently conservative religion to take on a more progressive leadership, and that’s amazing.

Obama’s presidency brought out the bigots and left us with a horrendous elected leader. But now, I pray, to Mary, St. Jude, every angel, saint, and God(s & esses), that the heartless, cruel, and plain evil displays we’re seeing in this country turn the world toward compassion, empathy, kindness, and peace (so yes, essentially progressive politics). I’m here for that. Let the Catholics lead the way so I can be proud of my faith for once.

As the kids say, LFG.