Football legend Lou Holtz calls on Catholics to 'defend and encourage' Pope Leo XIV

With Pope Leo XIV assuming his post, college football coaching legend Lou Holtz shared an important message for every Catholic around the globe. 

Holtz said he has been "Catholic all my life," serving as an altar boy as well. He urged people in the United States and around the world to be gracious to Pope Leo as he begins his leadership of the church. 

"I’m an old man, I’ve been Catholic all my life. I was taught about how the pope would be selected. The white smoke, the black smoke, et cetera," Holtz began his message. "But you never know about the pope, because he isn’t infallible. He’s infallible when everything comes to religious decisions, and we’re taught to respect him and pray for him and listen to him.

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Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame football coach, addresses the America First Policy Institute's America First Agenda Summit at the Marriott Marquis on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"I hope this pope will be a very, very good one, but I do know this: He is our pope. We must defend him, we must encourage him, we must pray for him, and we must help him."

Holtz continued by arguing "too many people don’t give enough to the church today," and perhaps that is due to some not believing in past papal decisions. 

"The church has financial obligations like anything else. So, whether you like the pope or not, is irrelevant. He’s our pope. You must respect him, pray for him, and care about him at the same time, accept the decisions he makes.

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"It’s important for us to support the pope regardless of who he is, whether we like him or not. Pray for him. Pray for the decisions that they make. I’ve been blessed to know two popes, have visits with them. Let’s make sure that we pray for the pope, follow his blessings and teachings because they’ve led us the correct way for so many years. 

"Good luck to you, and I promise you, I will pray for the pope because I know the pope’s also going to pray for me and pray for the choices he makes in the best interest of this country."

Since Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the first American pope last week, many wanted to learn about the new leader of the church. 

Pope Leo XIV leaves the Augustinian General House in Rome after a visit on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)

Louis Prevost, his conservative brother, pushed back on accusations that Pope Leo would be a "woke" successor to the late Pope Francis. 

"He wasn’t, like, super political," Prevost told Piers Morgan on "Uncensored." "He’s not left, he’s not right, he looks at the whole scene, takes information from both sides, and somehow finds a way to go down the middle and not ruffle too many feathers."

Prevost did, however, address Pope Leo’s previous criticism of President Donald Trump’s methods amid the migrant crisis. 

"He may take offense with the method in which they’re moving people out and comment on that," but nonetheless, "you still have to follow the rules of the law."

Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz listens before being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Holtz is a staunch Trump supporter, posting similar videos of his praise for the 47th president. 

Holtz coached for 33 years in college with six different programs, most notably Notre Dame, where he went 100-30 over his 11 years with the Fighting Irish. 

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