Catholics see a familiar political divide in Pope Leo XIV and his eldest brother

While Catholic experts told RNS that Louis' connections with Trump are unlikely to make a significant political impact in the church or the government, they expressed hope that the pope's relationship with his brother may help U.S. Catholics learn to better love each other despite political differences.

Lopez said recent popes have been treated like a "public enemy" or a "savior-like figure" and wondered if his brothers might help Leo escape either portrayal.

When a young Robert Prevost was becoming ordained to be a priest, his brother Louis was serving in the Navy. The elder Prevost has said he was always more conflict-oriented than his little brother.

Nichole Flores, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, said that having "profoundly different" siblings is a relatable experience and echoed that Leo's brothers make him seem "normal."

But also, said Jason King, director of the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, within the pope's family, " you've got this division really in the home that we're facing as a country, lots of other countries are facing, that sometimes the church is facing."

Vanessa Corcoran, a historian and advising dean at Georgetown University, believes that for Leo, who may be shaping up to release major teaching on artificial intelligence, " it's fitting that he is someone that, like many of us, is learning how to build bridges with people whose political opinions, social media presence is different from our own."

Corcoran highlighted that the focus on the pope's siblings is "unusual" for the modern papacy because many recent popes have been older than the 69-year-old Leo and have not had many living siblings. They also have not been on social media. 

Neither are there good historical comparisons for the pope's siblings meeting heads of state.

The Medici and the Borgia families, prominent during the Italian Renaissance, produced four and two popes, respectively. But those families had "political influence from the larger family really through bankrolling the Vatican," said Corcoran of the wealthy patrons, famous for supporting artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael.

" We're not seeing financial influence like that," said Corcoran. "We don't have these family dynasties that influence papal politics in the same way."

While Flores said it was possible some conservative Catholics found affirmation in Louis Prevost's meeting with Trump, and King, of St. Mary's University, speculated the Trump camp might be using the moment to portray a closeness to the pope, all of the experts dismissed the idea his oldest brother might shape Leo's relationship with Trump.

For King, Leo's relationship with his brother is a good place to watch for the pope's unity agenda.

" If the pope is able to find a way to both say that kind of language and that kind of attacks on other humans' dignity, that's not allowable, but then find some way to stay in relationship with Louis," said King, "that would be a constructive sign."

He's also hoping Leo will push the U.S. bishops to unify their country's church and speak against the Trump administration's divisive attitude toward " vulnerable human beings."

Flores, an expert on democracy and theology, said this is a moment where many different camps of Catholics have aspirations for Leo. Some are hoping he will push the U.S. church toward a more robust embrace of social teaching and away from the idea that immigration policy is a question of "prudential judgment." Others hope he will unify the church around "the dignity of life" and allow Latin liturgies to flourish.

How Leo will meet or disappoint those expectations is yet to be seen, but Flores said she hoped watching Leo interact with his brothers will help the church " continue to reflect on the broader social significance of families." The scholar explained, " Families aren't socially isolated units that function in the private sphere."

And Lopez, from the National Review, added, " We've had such a hard time in the United States in recent years when it comes to politics and personal relationships, and I just hope the Prevosts make us be human again and just love one another in the midst of political differences."