Pope Leo Talks Trump, AI, Scandals in First Interview

Pope Leo XIV said in his first major interview as history's first American pope that he is concerned by some of what is happening in the US but he doesn't plan to engage in "partisan politics." Leo spoke on a range of topics—the Trump administration, clergy sexual abuse, LGBTQ+ Catholics, and artificial intelligence—in the interview, conducted by Vatican correspondent Elise Ann Allen of the news site Crux for a biography of Leo that was published Thursday in Peru, where he was bishop for many years.

• Trump administration. Leo made clear he is not a Trump supporter, adding that he and his brother Luis Prevost, a self-described "MAGA-type" who has met the president, are in "different places," the AP reports. He said US bishops showed "courage" in confronting the administration over mass deportation plans earlier this year and expressed hope they would continue to do so. He added, however, that he is not afraid to "raise issues," CNN reports. "The fact that I am American means ... people can't say, like they did about Francis, 'he doesn't understand the United States,'" he said. Leo also wants to support Trump's efforts "promoting peace in the world."

• LGBTQ+ Catholics. Leo embraced Pope Francis' message for LGBTQ+ Catholics that "todos, todos, todos" are welcome in the Catholic Church but said that he found "it highly unlikely" the church's core doctrine about sexuality would change anytime soon. The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual people must be treated with dignity and respect, but that homosexual activity is "intrinsically disordered." It opposes same-sex marriage, saying marriage is a union between a man and woman. "I think we have to change attitudes before we even think about changing what the church says about any given question," he said.
• An AI pope. Leo said he had rejected a proposal to create an AI pope that anybody could have an audience with, Politico reports. "This artificial intelligence pope would give them answers to their questions, and I said, 'I'm not going to authorize that,'" he said. "If there's anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the pope is high on the list."

• Sexual abuse crisis. Leo said it's "a real crisis" that has not yet been solved, and that the church still hasn't found a way to help victims heal. But he also said the rights of priests must be respected. "Statistics show that well over 90% of people who come forward and make accusations, they are authentically victims. They are telling the truth," he said. "But there have also been proven cases of some kind of false accusation. There have been priests whose lives have been destroyed because of that."
• Women's voices. Leo vowed to continue appointing women to leadership positions in the church, but tamped down any hopes of ordaining women as deacons or as priests. He pointed to an ongoing study by the Vatican's doctrine office on the issue. "I at the moment don't have an intention of changing the teaching of the church on the topic," he said. "I am certainly willing to continue to listen to people."