I’m sorry to admit that some of my fellow Americans, who also happen to be Catholics of a conservative hue, are known to make comments on social media in which their ignorance is matched by their vehemence. One such was the claim that Pope Leo – and Francis before him – is a communist, a charge that arose in reaction to the Holy Father’s call for generosity and gentleness towards immigrants. Indeed, whenever any Catholics call for the “preferential option for the poor” I shudder as MAGA Catholics hurl the “socialism/communism” curse words.