(NewsNation) — Two American cardinals pushed back on the idea that the conclave selected Cardinal Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — as a counterweight to President Donald Trump.
Cardinals Timothy Dolan and Wilton Daniel Gregory, among others, addressed questions Friday about Leo’s path to becoming pontiff.
When asked whether the selection of the first American pope was a reflection of cardinals’ desire to balance out Trump’s global influence, Gregory said: “I didn’t sense in the conversations that I had with the other cardinals of the world that the conclave was seen as a continuation of the American political election.”
While he acknowledged the cardinals were aware of statements and political actions out of the United States, Gregory said he felt the electing members were primarily concerned with “who among us can bring us together.”
“It wasn’t an election conclave, it was a desire to strengthen the Christian faith among God’s people,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV appears on the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica after being chosen as the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church at the Vatican on May 8. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) 
Faithful react after the announcement of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on May 8. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) 
Cardinals attend a final Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica before the conclave to elect a new pope May 7. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) 
White smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to elect a new pope May 8. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Nolan agreed, calling Leo a “bridge builder” who will inevitably work together with myriad world leaders.
“Will he want to build bridges to Donald Trump? I suppose that he would want to build bridges with the leader of every nation. So, I don’t think — at all — my brother cardinals would have thought of him as a counterweight to any one person,” Nolan said.
Nolan added that a conversation with Trump likely wouldn’t hold any more “heft” for Leo than the head of any other nation.
Leo has previously used social media to push back on the Trump administration and its rhetoric around immigration, the death penalty and gun laws, according to a review of his X posts by NewsNation partner The Hill.
In a 2023 interview with the Vatican News Service, the then-cardinal called social media “an important tool to communicate the Gospel message reaching millions of people,” though he acknowledged there is sometimes “a risk of fueling divisions and controversy.”