Up First from NPR - Scene From Vatican City, Life Of Pope Leo XIV, China Trade Talks

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

People traveled to the Vatican from all over the world to witness the election of a new pope. What more do we know about the life of the Chicago-born pontiff who also holds Peruvian citizenship? Also, negotiators from the US and China will meet this weekend in Switzerland for talks about the trade war between the two countries.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Daniel Burke, Ryland Barton, Padmananda Rama, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Kaity Kline, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What was it like to be at the Vatican when a cleric made this announcement? We have a pope, he said. American Robert Prevost is now Leo XIV and we'll hear from Ruth Sherlock, who was there. I'm Leila Fadl, that's Stevenskip, and this is Up First from NPR News. How does the pope from Chicago look to American political partisans? We'll hear some of his stances so far. Also negotiators from the US and China will meet over the weekend. The US hopes to ease the terms of its own trade war, while China wants fewer restrictions

on American tech. Expert controls on chips in particular and in chip making equipment. So things that would allow them to accelerate the domestic development of AI. Stay with us, we've got the news you need to start your day. This is Eric Glass, the host of This American Life. So much is changing so rapidly right now,

with President Trump in office. It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what. To try and do that, we've been finding these incredible stories about right now that are funny and have feeling and you get to see people everywhere making sense of this new America that we find ourselves in.

This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts. The scary new movie Sinners from the director of Black Panther finds Michael B. Jordan playing twin brothers. It's got vampires, it's got great music, and it's a fun one to see with a big crowd. This is the most excited I've been about a movie in a very long time. We'll tell you why you should see Sinners on the biggest screen you can. Listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. On this week's Wild Card podcast, Weird Al Yankovic says there's something funny about being professionally weird. I think people realize, you know, Weird Al is almost ironic

because I'm like one of the more normal people in showbiz, I think. I'm Rachel Martin. Weird Al is on Wild Card, the show where cards control the conversation. The Catholic Church followed each step of a ritual that's centuries old. White smoke poured from a chimney yesterday, then a cleric appeared on a balcony to say these words in Latin. Avemus Papam.

Avemus Papam, we have a pope, thanks to my high school Latin teacher. Moments later, as we heard live on NPR, the cleric gave the name Robert Francis Prevost, and it became apparent that it was a pope from Chicago. NPR's Rome correspondent, Ruth Sherlock, was there watching it all unfold in Vatican City. Hi, Ruth. Hi. So, Ruth, you got to watch this history being made. Tell us what it was like. Well, you know, in those moments leading up to the white smoke, there were just people in prayer, all over the square,

in their own languages. I heard Italian, French, Bengali. Sister Mary Agnes Mruga, a nun from Poland, gave this great description of what it was like waiting outside the Sistine Chapel while the cardinals were inside. It's just exciting to be in the very place when they are, you know, behind the wall. They are electing and we are on the other side praying for them. And then the white smoke just started billowing out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, meaning that new pope had been chosen. There were marching bands and chants of Viva il Papa, Long live the pope.

And then it was announced, Robert Prevost, an American Cardinal's pope. You know, the reaction where I was, was actually initially one of confusion. Lots of people hadn't heard through the tinny speakers. People were frantically trying to check their phones but there was no phone data. But gradually the name Pravost kind of spread through the crowd and then he appeared on the lodger of the Basilica. His first public appearance as Pope Leo XIV. What was his message? His first words were, peace be with you all. And you know, Leila, his speech had echoes of the papacy of his predecessor, Francis,

for its global message. He sent well wishes of peace to quote all of the people all over the earth. He gave a special greeting to the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where he lived for many years, where he was a bishop. And he recited the Hail Mary prayer with thousands of people joining him from the square. And what was the reaction? Once people finally got the news and saw the new pope and were starting to get a sense of who he is, how were they reacting to him? Well, the reaction was actually very mixed. Where I was standing, there was some disappointment,

particularly among Italians. You know, there've been many Italian popes before and they were hoping that one of the Italian Cardinals will be chosen. Among Americans though, as you can imagine, there was shock. There absolutely isn't a precedent for previous popes. Leo XIV is the first pope from the United States, as we said, and there was jubilation. Here's Max Gleason. He's a 21 year old American college student studying in Rome. I can't say for sure but just seeing this few minutes of him up there and the emotion that he brought he just looks like someone he's he's going to crush it. So lots of optimism about what this pope you know might be able to achieve, lots of expectations, It's a very difficult time in the world and Pope

Francis spoke repeatedly about human suffering and conflict, about poverty and many people hoping he'll continue that legacy. NPR's Ruth Sherlock. Thank you, Ruth. Thanks so much, Leila. NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose, along with Ruth, was part of our live coverage yesterday as the name was revealed and he's been looking into the life of the Pope from Chicago. Hi there Jason.

Hello. What do you know about Leo? Well, Pope Leo is 69 years old which makes him a bit on the younger side for popes. He's got quite some time left in him. He was an undergraduate at Villanova University in Pennsylvania where he majored in mathematics. Like Pope Francis, he's a member of a religious order. In Prevost's case, the Augustinians, who focus on missionary work and education.

Prevost, now Pope Leo, went to seminary at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and he did his doctorate here in Rome. He spent significant parts of his ministry in Peru. During his greeting from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square yesterday though, he spoke in both Italian and Spanish but did not significantly, I think, speak in English, and he served on the Pontifical Commission on Latin America, a place he knows well given his time in Peru.

What sense do you have at this early moment about what style of Pope he might be? Well, here's what Cardinal Prevost told the Vatican's official news agency prior to his election as Pope About what he thinks church leadership should be. The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom But rather called authentically to to be humble to be close to the people he serves to walk with them To suffer with them and to look for ways that he can better walk with them, to suffer with them, and to look for ways that he can better live the gospel message in the midst of his people.

And Steve, that's very similar to what Pope Francis was fond of saying, that a pastor who's a shepherd should smell like his sheep. Hmm. I've noticed that already there are some criticisms of Pope Leo. That's right. Survivors of clergy sexual abuse say Cardinal Prevost did not do enough to address the issue as a bishop or archbishop or Cardinal, but Steve, that's true of many in church leadership.

Now the question is how he'll respond to victims going forward and how he handles abusive priests and those who covered up for them. He's also come under criticism for comments on LGBTQ people. Back in 2012, he lamented what he called the culture's sympathy with quote, the homosexual lifestyle. comments on LGBTQ people. Back in 2012, he lamented what he called the culture's sympathy with quote, the homosexual lifestyle. And he spoke out against a government plan in

Peru to teach about gender in public schools. He called promotion of quote, gender ideology confusing and said such thinking creates genders that don't exist. I noticed that there are some hardcore supporters of President Trump who seem to assume that he is going to be opposed to President Trump. They're applying that blue-red filter of the United States onto the pontiff. What are his politics to the extent that they're known? Well, I think that he was a close ally with Pope Francis and as such will probably be willing to stand up to the Trump administration in the same way that

the Vatican has for the last dozen years, talking out against the treatment of migrants, talking out against the treatment of people in Gaza and the way the war is being conducted there. So could be somebody who's willing to go head to head and a very prominent American figure willing to go head to head with another prominent American figure, to go head to head with another prominent American figure, the American president. Absolutely. Isn't it surprising that it would be an American pope? Well, I think it's stunning.

Prevost's name had come up, of course, because of his position there in the Vatican. He's considered well-qualified given his pastoral and administrative experience, but the U.S. is not the center of the Catholic world, and Vatican watchers said the U.S. has enough global power already. And the church, you know, Steve, is far more vibrant in other places, places where it's

growing, like in Latin America and Africa and Asia. You know, Pope Francis, in fact, dramatically diversified the College of Cardinals during his papacy to reflect that. Many more cardinals from other parts of the world, but ones who chose an American. It is important to note that while Pope Leo is from the United States, he spent much of his life in ministry outside of the U.S., in Peru and at the Vatican. So he does bring a truly global perspective to the job. Jason, thanks for your perspective.

You're welcome. That's NPR religion correspondent, Jason DeRose. Trade negotiators from the US and China talked this weekend in Switzerland. These are their first high level face to face trade talks since President Trump returned to the White House. Goods from China now face a tax of up to 245%. The president's 145 is on top of some older tariffs. American goods going to China face taxes around 125%.

NPR's Emily Fang has been covering this. Hi there, Emily. Good morning, Steve. How does the meeting in Switzerland compare with trade talks in Trump's first term? Right. I feel like we've been here before, but the stakes this time are much higher. The rates as you just laid out are much higher. And what's interesting is China has taken a much more defiant position

this time around regarding trade. Neither country seemed willing to make the first move this time around. The levies in the last couple of weeks kept climbing. China reached a point where its foreign ministry said it would quote fight to the end. And going into the talks just now, its foreign ministry said it would quote fight to the end and going into the talks just now its commerce ministry said it was not going to accept any quote coercion or blackmail. Wow doesn't sound like this meeting is likely to produce much of an agreement. No and Scott Besant

the US Treasury Secretary who is going to these talks said as much this week but it could be a chance for both countries to de-escalate and cool off. China, for example, says it wants to see quote, sincerity as in having the US drop its tariffs ahead of the meeting, which is something that the White House has outright said is not going to happen. Another big challenge is these two countries have very different negotiating styles and it's not clear to the Chinese what the US want, what the end goals of these tariffs are. Trump has said they're to punish China for not doing enough to stop fentanyl trafficking, but he's also said he wants to use these tariffs to make China buy more from the US.

As for what China might ask for this weekend, I asked Mary Lovely, who monitors trade policy at the nonpartisan economics think tank, the Peterson Institute in Washington. She told me their number one ask is rollback on US export controls on semiconductor chips. Export controls on chips in particular and in chip making equipment. So things that would allow them to accelerate the domestic development of AI and artificial intelligence. But this is not something the US is likely going to want to do. Emily, the Trump administration talks as if they've got the upper hand here, that they've got the cards.

How strong does China think its position may be? They feel pretty confident, but tariffs are also hurting China. You know, it's been only a few weeks. At the same time though, Beijing has been preparing for just such an economic standoff with the US for years. They've been shoring up their supply chains this week. They just announced monetary changes to cushion themselves economically a bit from, among other things, tariffs. Denny McMahon is head of research at Trivium, which is a group that advises businesses on China. He's been monitoring China's diplomacy, you know, their efforts to strike trade deals of their own basically without the US by saying China is the stronger proponent of a global

free trade regime. So it feels like it's on strong ground kind of going out to the rest of the world and saying hey I'm all in favor of supporting and perpetuating the existing regime who else is with me. This used to be the US's calling card, but now China is using the same rhetoric. And Piers-Emily Fang, thanks so much. Thanks. And here's one more story, which we have for you this weekend, the backstory of Sean Combs, who was on trial accused of sex crimes. This weekend on The Sunday Story from Up First, why did it take so long for the allegations to catch up

with a music star and record executive? There's a culture of fear and silence that really surrounded Combs for decades, and it's what allowed him to maintain control of his public image. That's on the next Sunday Story from Up First. ["Up First"] And that's Up First for this Friday.

It's Friday, May 9th. I'm Steve Inskeep. And I'm Leila Faldin. Just a reminder, Up Fair, Up Fairst. Up First, Up First. It's a Scottish program. Go on. Just a reminder, Up First airs on Saturdays too, but Steve and I will not be here.

Aisha Roscoe and Scott Simon will have the news. Look for it wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Daniel Burke, Rylan Barton, Padmanandarama, Janaya Williams and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Katie Klein, Mia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hines and our technical director is Carly Strange. Our executive producer is Jay Schaler. Have a great weekend. Music

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