This morning, white smoke was seen billowing out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, and soon after came the reveal of the new pope: Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, Illinois.
President Donald Trump immediately celebrated this news, writing online, "What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country."
Cardinal Robert Prevost was considered a dark-horse candidate, and emerged out of relative obscurity compared to the bigger and more well-known names formerly considered the frontrunners. Cardinal Robert Prevost donned the name Leo, becoming Pope Leo XIV. Leo is the fourth most common name chosen by popes, but there hasn't been a Leo in more than a century. It comes from the name "lion", which appeals to the values of strength and courage.
Pope Leo XIV just stepped out onto the balcony and addressed the world for the very first time as pope. His first move was to pay tribute to the late Pope Francis.
“Let us keep in our ears the weak voice of Pope Francis that blesses Rome," Pope Leo XIV said in Italian. "The Pope who blessed Rome, gave his blessing to the entire world that morning of Easter. Allow me to follow up on that blessing. God loves us. God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail."
He spent most of his religious career as a missionary in South America and led a Vatican office for bishop appointments. According to news outlets, he is expected to build on Pope Francis's reforms and is seen as more of a moderate, but his views on LGBTQ+ rights within the church remain unknown. He also still believes himself to be a missionary, and encouraged the spread of the gospel in his most recent speech.
Prevost received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the Villanova University in Pennsylvania, then went on to earn his diploma in theology from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. Then, he went to Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University. He taught canon law in Trujillo, Peru, and spent over two decades in Peru as a missionary.
While some are disappointed that one of the favorites, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, known as "Asian Francis," who would have been the first Filipino and Asian pope, was not chosen from the conclave, it remains to be seen how Cardinal Robert Prevost will continue Francis's tradition.
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/08/nx-s1-5385327/vatican-white-smoke-new-pope-conclave
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/world/europe/white-smoke-new-pope-what-next.html
https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/new-pope-conclave-day-two-05-08-25?t=1746729622343
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05/08/world/pope-conclave-news
21 comments:
I do think something very striking about this decision is the fact that the new elected Pope is American, being the first American pontiff in history. This decision highlights the growing influence of the US within the Catholic Church, considering the Church's leadership has been mainly dominated by Europeans, specifically Italians, for hundreds of years. I'm not very familiar on the functions and system of European government and how things work at the Vatican City, but I do think this decision highlights the shifts in global dynamics within the Catholic Church as the US continues to gain a greater influence on these religious affairs. It's good to see that Pope Leo XIV had similar views as Pope Francis and was viewed positively by Pope Francis as well, but it will be interesting to see how he will perform differently as the pope. I don't know if the fact that he is American will transfer into his policies and viewpoints, but considering that Pope Leo XIV is also a naturalized Peru citizen and worked there for so long, I don't think we will be seeing a lot of American values in his work, but I guess we'll see.
There's a funny quote somewhere that goes along the lines of, "only when the United States begins to decline in power will an American pope be elected", because the church is hesitant to align itself with a major superpower. I don't think his nationality as an American will factor into his work as pope given that he's spent the last two plus decades in Peru doing missionary work and then becoming responsible for appointing cardinals (which Pope Francis entrusted him to do), so I'm excited to see what happens with how he guides the church. Surely, I hope the church doesn't go backwards because especially in the current day and age, we need more tolerance and more compassion than ever.
I was very surprised by the election of Pope Leo XIV, because he is the first American-born Pope, which I imagined would make him unlikely to be elected, especially at this time in American politics. His work in South America and tribute to Pope Francis make me hopeful that he will continue on Pope Francis' path of reform and be a compassionate figure.
This election of Cardinal Prevost as Pope Leo XIV is fascinating because he's from Chicago, but also because it reflects the Church's desire to balance tradition with progressive reform. I'm especially curious about where he'll lead on LGBTQ+ inclusions, which is still a gap in the Church's evolution. It's a reminder that change is the Vatican rarely is revolutionary and rather nuanced.
I wasn't expecting a decision to be made this quickly and even more so I was shocked that an American was chosen as the new pope. I think it will be really interesting to see how his views on LGBTQ+ and other more western/American ideals will come into play during his time as pope. There was a lot of support for the candidate from the Philippines so while some are disappointed that Cardinal Tagle didn’t become the pope, it’ll be interesting to see how Pope Leo XIV leads and if he continues Francis’s moderate path or pushes for new reforms.
Pope Leo XIV's election feels like it has significance beyond just the religious realm. Especially because he has an American background, his election to pope could shape the bigger political landscape. While his views on LGBTQ are unclear, even Pope Francis who is known to be the first pope to adopt a supportive stance on LGBTQ evolved into that perspective during his time as pope. Additionally, the former and current pope were reportedly on close terms, which hopefully results in them aligning their perspectives in important ways.
I never thought it would occur--but I think this can be a good thing if it is harnessed correctly. With an American pope, if he condemns some of the in compassion and inhumanity of this administration--it offsets the negative international spotlight that the U.S. has, and create a positive voice for a DIFFERENT agenda.
It is quite fascinating that cardinal robert provost has emerged as the new pope, especially since he was considered a dark horse. His background as a missionary in South America and his work in the Vatican suggest that he might carry on Pope Francis’s legacy of outreach and reform. The choice of the name Leo XIV is symbolic too, especially since we haven’t had a Pope Leo in over 100 years. It’s also interesting that President Trump immediately celebrated the news, which gives a sense of how this event might be viewed internationally, especially with a first American pope. Still, the absence of a pope from Asia, like cardinal luis Antonio Tagle, might leave some people disappointed, but I’m sure the focus will. Likely shift toward what pope leo xiv does next.
I think it will be interesting to see the ideologies and beliefs of Pope Leo XIV and especially how his identity of being American has shaped these beliefs. Along with many, I am especially curious about his views on the LGBTQ+ community. In all honesty, I thought the current political climate of the United States would have hindered his chances of becoming pope. Although now, I am hopeful that he will help better America’s image (especially in more recent days).
I think that the pope being American is a great thing for the world, especially because of all of the negativity with tariffs and trade war stuff with Trump. Although this paints a bad image, having a pope that stands up for so much good, AND being American is really cool to have, and it will show the world that we aren't what the stereotypes say. I hope that he lives up to the comparison of him to Francis, and we see a really productive and strong pope to set a role model for not just future popes, but also Americans as well.
It is interesting to see how the role of the pope has grown to be not just a leader in the catholic church, but a global influence in politics and policy. Pope Francis became known for his strong opinions on LGBTQ rights, immigration, and various global conflicts. Pope Francis had a history of conflicting with Trump, saying that “A person who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” according to the NBC article, Pope Francis to Donald Trump: Building Mexico Wall Is 'Not Christian'. It seems that Pope Leo XIV was a favorite of Pope Francis and likely shares his political messaging. I think that it is curious to see what the catholic church is trying to say by electing an American into an influential voice, who will likely speak poorly about the current American political administration.
As a catholic this is a big deal to our family and something to be proud of since the pope is from the US. It’s interesting that he comes from a missionary background and seems focused on continuing Pope Francis’s reforms, but I’m curious to see where he stands on LGBTQ+ issues since that wasn’t clear. Being a new pope in times of a lot of change will be difficult but hopefully, Pope Leo XIV can bring a fresh perspective while respecting tradition.
Although many Americans see this appointment as a sign of the rise of conservatism in America and a possible advantage to push Republican agenda. However, it is important to research Pope Leo's background. During his time as a cardinal he stated, "The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically 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 live the Gospel message in the midst of his people". Which highlights how he views himself humbly and as a servant to the people. People may bring up his ambiguous views on homosexuality and gender, and frame him as opposed to it, when that is not the case. In 2023, after not supporting a bill to discuss gender identity in elementary school, he stated "To talk about matters of identity and sexual orientation with a child who hasn't yet reached a sufficient age of development will create much confusion," which illustrates his main concern is with the protection of children and their vulnerability.
I saw a video of the crazy crowd lining up to see the pope unveiling and I was wondering, why is this such a big deal? Then I realized that this is probably tantamount to seeing the president give their first address to the crowd, and that made more sense to me. I think it's pretty funny honestly that the pope, this globally recognized and respected leader of ancient tradition and status is a guy from Chicago, but it's good that the position is becoming a bit more diverse (sort of) and that the Filipino candidate was also really close to becoming pope. I wonder how popes choose their names too, it must be a pretty serious and important process so I wonder why he chose the name Leo.
I was surprised at this decision as I thought it was going to be a different candidate. But I think it is interesting that the Pope that was chosen is from the US. I think this could potentially be a good thing. I am curious to find out more about his political views.
It's very strange to me how someone who is not very well-known was able to become Pope and influence so many people, not saying that he won't do a good job, just less experience. I'm curious to see how not only is he a pope (leader in the catholic church) but also a leader to those who are not Christ-centered, and how he will balance. I'm interested to see what he does with LGBTQ rights and immigration, and how he will integrate his ideals with older beliefs. He worked as a missionary in Peru, he could possibly bring worldly ideals, maybe he will have a unique view. We will see how he does compared to the last pope.
Although Trump celebrated the news of an American pope, it doesn't seem like Pope Leo XIV is as much of a fan of Trump. He's been openly critical of some of Trump's politics, such as his immigration policy. Pope Francis was known for having some relatively progressive views for the church, so it will be interesting to see if Pope Leo continues this trend, or leads the church in a more conservative direction.
Something that stands out to me is that the new pope is American. The Papacy is known to be a global institution and feeling as though our country has a say and is being represented by an insider is very important to our nation. Pope Leo has much experience in church, and had a big growing influence in it as well.
I think a big problem with the pope being an “Asian Francis” is that a lot of white Catholics would feel very angry at having an Asian Pope, but non-white Catholics are used to having a white Pope, and expect it. Yes It would have been good to see some diversity in the position, but in reality, because of people’s biases, many Catholics could have caused problems.
I am curious to learn more about the Pope’s political views as that still remains unknown but I do think it’s interesting that this is the first time an American pope has been chosen. I think that his education and his compassion towards Pope Francis does make him a suitable option for the position and I am glad that there is starting to be more diversity within the election process.
Post a Comment