The news hit the world like a runaway cannoli cart in St. Peter’s Square: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago is now Pope Leo XIV! For the first time in 2,000 years, an American sits on St. Peter’s throne. Vaticanologists everywhere are stunned, and the rest of us are just wondering if papal audiences will now include a seventh-inning stretch.
This election was a genuine shocker. Most experts had long considered an American Pope about as likely as finding a quiet corner in Rome during tourist season. The whispers against a Pope from the US, a global superpower, were pretty loud. Yet, here we are.
Adding to the surprise, the conclave that picked him wrapped up in just over 24 hours! That’s faster than some people decide what to order for dinner. Clearly, the Cardinals were eager, or maybe someone just really wanted to get back to their Netflix series. So, let’s find out what he’s all about.
Read all about the new pope on the next pages!