From The Trans Nike Study, To Illegals To American Pride: 5 Hopes For The New Pope, From A Mom On Mother’s Day
It’s Mother’s Day! Shout out to all the amazing Moms out there, including my Mom in Indiana.
And thank you to my own two children for making me a Momma more than 20 years ago. I cherish you both!
Of course, the mother of all Moms is Mary, Mother of God. And in that vein, I thought it seemed timely, with the election of a new Pope on Thursday (the first American Pope, no less!), to pen an open letter to Pope Leo XIV, on behalf of all Mothers.
L-R: Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost, arrives on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in The Vatican, on May 8, 2025. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images); Statue Of the Virgin Mary, Mother Of God (Getty Images).
As a mother (and lifelong Catholic), there are five things that are on my mind in which I believe our new Pope could help Moms, families, children, women and Americans.
So here it goes. Prayers up!
Dear Pope Leo,
I’m sure you have a looooong to-do list. Just trying to pray your beloved Chicago White Sox out of the hell (please, pardon the language) on Earth that they’ve found themselves in over the last two years might consume you.
But if you’d take just a moment to consider these important issues, we Moms across the globe, and particularly here in America, would be so appreciative.
Thank you, and God Speed to you in your new job!
(Getty Images)
1. Transgender Agenda/Gender-Affirming Care/Alleged Nike Study
I have found evidence, Pope Leo, that you have already spoken out against the polarizing and demented gender issue that has insidiously wormed its way into our society. Bravo!
As you know, so many people in positions of power and those with large platforms do not speak out about it. Will not. It’s baffling and, quite frankly, shameful, considering how damaging and dangerous this agenda is.
In America, where we fought so hard during the 1970s to pass Title IX for equality for women in education and sports, we are wondering where all the outspoken feminists who supported that movement are, now that boys and men are invading girls' and women’s sports and spaces.
We are also wondering where all the corporations and doctors and experts are when news comes out that a powerful company like Nike, which preached for years that it was an advocate for women, has allegedly funded studies about the effect of "gender-affirming" care on boys, supposedly with the intent to see if male athletes can be neutralized enough to compete fairly in women’s sports.
Nike has stayed silent on this…for weeks now. But if true, this news is twisted, don’t you think?
READ: Nike Continues To Fail Women With Alleged Study On Trans-Identifying Youth | Amber Harding
READ: Nike Is Making Trans Study Funding Story Worse By Not Commenting, Crisis Management Expert Says
(Photos by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images).
Then there are all the poor, young children, some of whom are still in grade school, who are being subjected to life-altering procedures and drugs, all in the name of a sick and deceitful trans ideology that denies basic biology and pushes lies, simply because the children might be confused, unsure or worse, unduly influenced, by an adult with a warped agenda.
According to a New York Times story, while a bishop in Peru, you opposed a government plan there to add teachings on gender in schools. You said: "The promotion of gender ideology is confusing, because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist."
Please continue to speak up on this. Please use your elevated platform and enhanced voice to advocate for the women and children who are being hurt by this wicked trans agenda. Pope Leo, they need you, and your influence. Badly.
2. Secure Vatican, Secure Borders: They Are One And The Same
We are told that you were a close friend and ally of the late Pope Francis.
I’m sure there were many admirable qualities about Pope Francis, but one area in which he took criticism, particularly from people, including Catholics, here in America, was his stance on borders and immigration.
Apparently, Pope Francis strongly disagreed with President Trump on this issue. In fact, in 2016, about Trump’s plan for a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Pope Francis said: "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian. That is not the Gospel."
A member of the Swiss Guard is seen near the Vatican, following the death of Pope Francis in Rome on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Of course, the Pope lives at the Vatican, which is completely surrounded by walls and gates and is protected 24/7 by the Swiss Guard.
Likewise, the Hollywood celebrities, uber-wealthy elites and left-wing "journalists" from places like MSNBC and ABC News who like to lecture and admonish Americans about how racist and xenophobic walls and border policies are, also live in gated communities with walls and armed security.
Please see the hypocrisy here.
Being in favor of an orderly and secure immigration system is not being in favor of stopping all immigration. Just illegal immigration.
Likewise, being in favor of an immigration system that includes an actual, physical border, like the walls and gates around the Vatican, is not being in favor of stopping all immigration. Rather, it’s being in favor of stopping/deterring evil from infiltrating our country, and giving law enforcement a chance to properly vet the people who do come into the country, just as those who are allowed to enter the Vatican are thoroughly screened beforehand.
Immigrants at the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Unfortunately, there are bad people in this world. Just ask the parents of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray and 22-year-old Laken Riley, as well as the five children of Rachel Morin, along with the families of many other dead Americans. Those Americans lost their loved ones - all killed at the hands of criminals and murderers who crossed our borders illegally and never received proper vetting.
HOUSTON - A candlelight vigil for 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray on June 21, 2024. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Borders don’t just keep bad people out, they protect innocent people. Good people. And I know there is something very Christian about that. I am hoping that you will consider the border issue from that perspective.
3. End Pedophilia And Sexual Abuse In The Catholic Church Once And For All
Just typing those words was uncomfortable.
Let’s face it, this is an issue that has been plaguing the Catholic Church for years, that elephant in the room that no one wants to ever really talk about and address, but that everyone knows is there and looms.
The pedophilia and sexual abuse issue with Catholic priests, I believe, is also a reason that many Catholics have separated from the church. The topic is understandably unnerving and disturbing and no one quite understands how it has been dealt with, and what safety nets are in place to protect the children of the church today and of tomorrow.
(Photo by Art Images via Getty Images)
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, while you were in the role of "Prior Provincial" from 1999 to 2001 as part of the Midwest Province, there was an issue with a pedophile priest residing in an Augustinian monastery on the South Side of Chicago. While you may not have had the power then to do anything about that, it would seem that you have seen this problem up close and personal.
Since you’ve become Pope, an attorney for the Midwest Province told the Sun-Times about you: "He has taken steps to protect minors and vulnerable adults in numerous countries, always seeking to protect the innocent and offer healing to victims, while removing offenders from the ministry."
Catholics everywhere pray this is true, Pope Leo, and we hope that, in the name of protecting our children, you will make this issue a cornerstone of your powerful platform.
Please don’t be afraid to talk about it, to show us that this issue is actively and continuously being handled, and that the Catholic Church will be proactive on this front for, well…forever. The days of secrecy and darkness on this issue need to be over.
4. What’s Wrong With Women In The Church?
There are some outlets that estimate that there are as many as 1.4 billion Catholics around the world. And that number is rising due to the growth of Catholicism in Africa and South America.
But in Europe and North America, Catholicism has declined since the early 2000s. In the United States, Catholics made up 24 percent of the population in 2007. Now, that’s down to 19 percent.
Anecdotally, Catholic churches all across America are often lamenting the loss of parishioners in recent years.
I mention this to point out that maybe, just maybe, especially in the year 2025 of our Lord, another approach might be worth a look. A slightly more modern approach.
As a product of Catholic grade school, I’ve always wondered why a religion that pays such deep esteem and reverence to a woman, the Virgin Mary, keeps the role of women in the church so limited. To basically the nuns running the Catholic schools.
A St. John Villa Academy Catholic School classroom in 1960. (Photo by Eric Bard/Corbis via Getty Images)
If the Catholic Church is losing followers in some areas, how about doing some things to appeal to 50 percent of the population? In other words, women.
I’m not necessarily siding with the outspoken feminists who pulled the stunt of blowing pink smoke during the Conclave, signaling that women need to be made priests in the Catholic Church, and have a say in picking the Pope.
But what’s wrong with giving women some meaningful positions in Catholic leadership, both in the Vatican, in the dioceses and in local parishes?
Like what, you ask? I’m not sure. But maybe it’s something new, something needed but never addressed.
Pope Leo, I was happy to see you emerge from the Vatican for your introduction wearing red, reportedly a nod to your traditional values. I think, in these difficult and challenging times, the Catholic Church could use a return to some of that. However, maybe on this topic, we can think just a little outside the box.
President Trump got elected here in the United States in part because he does think outside the box, he isn’t afraid to go against the grain and try new ideas. He’s also not afraid of upsetting those who have "always done it this way."
Surely, there’s some room for that as the Catholic Church, while staying true to many of its core traditional values, also continues to evolve.
Doing a few new things to get more women involved in the church, and perhaps help 50 percent of Catholics get more excited about their faith, sounds like a good thing to me…and like a good thing for the church.
Evening view of the skyline in Chicago on October 16, 2022. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
5. Embracing Your American Roots Is Honoring Your Own Mother
As a resident of the Chicago area for more than 35 years, I think it is so cool that you are from the Chicago area, too.
Your mother, Mildred, is a graduate of DePaul University on the city’s north side, a Catholic university that is near and dear to my heart, and I’m sure yours, too.
Many analysts and observers noted that when you addressed the masses in your first remarks as our new Pope, you spoke in Latin, Italian and Spanish.
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost addresses the crowd on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time, after the cardinals ended the conclave in The Vatican, on May 8, 2025. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)
With respect, why not English? The theory was that you wanted to make it abundantly clear that you are a Pope for everyone, not just an American Pope.
That’s fine, but being an American is also what makes you…well, you. Uniquely, authentically you. That is to be celebrated.
As a proud, patriotic Mother, whenever the opportunity presents itself, I remind my children how lucky they are to be Americans, and how proud they should be to call this wonderful country home. Being Americans is a huge part of who they are.
I believe that the good you can do as Pope, with your American upbringing and that unique American perspective, could be immeasurable. I truly believe that a majority of Americans were tired of America "leading from behind," which is why Trump and the MAGA, America First agenda became so popular here. People want America to "lead from the front" again.
Maybe you got elected Pope because the other cardinals are ready to have an American influence lead the Catholic Church in that way, too. I pray that you embrace that possibility.
American Pride. (Photo: Stephen Dunn /Allsport Via Getty)
Not to mention, having an American Pope who is proud of his American roots, might also be a great way to bring straying Catholics, especially here in the United States, back to the church.
So, while we know that you are the Pope for everyone, and are now in charge of moving Catholics forward, I think Catholics here at home wouldn’t mind at all if sometimes you took a look back, and gave a proud nod to where it all started for you.
I have a feeling that would make your own Mom, on Mother’s Day and every day, even more proud of you than she already is.
What do you think about my hopes for Pope Leo, the first American Pope? Do you have your own hopes for Pope Leo? Let me know: patricia.babcockmcgraw@outkick.com.