First off, I haven’t been a Catholic for almost 50 years, and I have no particular insight into Vatican politics.

That said, I see parallels between the selection of Leo XIV now, and John Paul II in 1978.

Back then, Poland and the Eastern bloc nations of Europe were a powder keg, with the USSR tightening its grip, especially after Polish dockworkers in Gdansk demanded labor reform and freedom of religious expression.

The election of a Polish pope galvanized the Poles. His moral leadership ran rings around the Kremlin, and helped hasten the fall of the Berlin Wall a decade later.

Today we live in an era where America has retreated from its role as the leader of the free world. America’s President glorifies brutal dictators like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. And he is the poster child for crass attacks on his critics, immigrants, religious and racial minorities. Trump’s sharing of a tone deaf image of himself as the new Pope may have been the last straw.

Because now there is a new American world leader with a much larger audience — who stands for so many of the people and things that Trump disparages on a daily basis.

And we all know how much Trump hates when someone takes the spotlight away from him for even a minute.

Leo’s selection as the first American pope will increase the friction between American Catholics and the largely Protestant religious right. Some Evangelicals have downplayed their anti-Catholic rhetoric in recent years, as they found themselves working closely with  Catholics to oppose abortion and gay rights.

An American pope is too tempting a target for them — especially a pope who so strongly opposes the policies of their boy Trump. Old prejudices that have been bottled up for decades are about to explode back into view. And that will push American Catholics farther and farther away from Trump and his spiritual advisors (such as they are).

An American Pope who takes the lead on opposing dictators, promoting fairness, and championing the rights of workers and immigrants is the perfect foil for Trump.