Long Steep: White Smoke, Red Flags, the Papacy

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In this Long Steep episode, Adren Warling unpacks the legacy of Francis, the chaos of Trump’s papal cosplay, the rise of Pope Leo XIV, and what it all means for public health, queer dignity, climate collapse, and the politics of salvation. From ordo amoris to holy smoke, this is where theology meets theory, and faith meets fire. Whether you're Catholic or just spiritually nosy, this episode is for you.

When Pope Francis died on Easter Monday 2025, the world lost more than a pope—it lost a spiritual disruptor. His papacy reshaped how Catholicism approached environmental justice, poverty, and global inequality. And now? An American cardinal steps into his sandals.
Francis wasn't just noteworthy for being the first Jesuit pope or the first from Latin America. His leadership style – living in a Vatican guest house, traveling by bus with cardinals, and consistently prioritizing the marginalized – embodied a different vision of spiritual authority. His landmark encyclical Laudato Si' directly connected environmental degradation to public health outcomes, exposing how pollution and resource scarcity disproportionately harm vulnerable populations.
What made Francis truly revolutionary was his willingness to challenge power structures while remaining firmly within Catholic tradition. He never endorsed same-sex marriage or abortion, but shifted focus away from sexual ethics toward economic justice and care for creation. His famous confrontation with American Vice President JD Vance over the concept of "ordo amoris" revealed competing visions of Christianity – one that arranges love in hierarchical order versus Francis's universal embrace that refuses to rank human dignity.
The aftermath of Francis's death brought peculiar American spectacle – from apocalyptic Reddit threads to President Trump's AI-generated images of himself in papal regalia. This bizarre theater revealed something profound about the intersection of religion and politics, showing how easily sacred imagery can be weaponized to promote nationalism and exclusion.
Now Pope Leo XIV (formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost), the first American pope, steps into this complex legacy. With his background in canon law and missionary work in Peru, Leo embodies tensions within Catholicism – between preservation and progress, between doctrinal conservatism and social justice. His papacy arrives at a pivotal moment when questions about climate crisis, migration, healthcare access, and economic inequality require moral frameworks as much as policy solutions.
Whether Catholic or not, we all have a stake in what emerges from the Vatican in coming years. When religious authority shapes how billions understand their responsibility toward the vulnerable, the sick, and our common planetary home, the conversation around faith and health becomes one we ignore at our peril.

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Chapters

1. Introduction to Papal Legacy (00:00:00)

2. Pope Francis: Life Before Papacy (00:05:04)

3. Francis's Social Justice Focus (00:09:50)

4. Environmental Justice & Laudato Si' (00:15:17)

5. Final Days & Political Tensions (00:21:39)

6. Papal Succession & Conclave (00:26:04)

7. Pope Leo XIV: America's First Pope (00:31:56)

8. The Future of Catholic Faith (00:35:40)