Pope Leo XIV has said he is worried about some of the things happening in the United States an interview with Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen contained in her new biography of him, excerpts of which the Catholic online daily has released.

“I don’t plan to get involved in partisan politics,” the American pontiff said.

“That’s not what the Church is about.

“But I’m not afraid to raise issues that I think are real Gospel issues, that hopefully people on both sides of the aisle, as we say, will be able to listen to.

“One of the last conversations I had with the Vice President of the United States – I have not had direct conversations with or have not met the President – I talked about human dignity and how important that is for all people, wherever you’re born, and hopefully to find ways to respect human beings and the way we treat them in the policies and choices we make.

“Obviously, there’s some things going on in the States that are of concern.

“We continue to look for ways to at least respond and raise some of the questions that need to be asked”.