After Pope Francis passed away, the Church had to choose a new leader. It didn’t take long, just under two days of voting, and they had their answer.
On May 8, white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel (meaning “we’ve got a new pope”), and boom. Cardinal Robert Prevost from Chicago was announced as the 267th pope.
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He made history as the first-ever American pope.
Trump reacted fast and called it a big moment for America
Of course, Donald Trump had thoughts. He jumped on Truth Social right away to say how proud he was.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope.
What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
Why the name Pope Leo XIV raised eyebrows
What stood out right away was the name he picked: Pope Leo XIV. That name has a lot of weight in Catholic history.
By going with that, he’s putting himself in line with popes who were seen as strong leaders and clear thinkers.
Changing names is a long-time papal tradition
He didn’t have to pick a new name. Technically, a pope can stick with their birth name. But no one’s done that in nearly 500 years.
Popes usually choose a name from the past — someone they admired, someone they wanna follow in the footsteps of.
The last Leo was known for brains and bold ideas
The last guy with that name was Pope Leo XIII who served way back, from 1878 to 1903.
He was Italian, real name Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci, and was known for being super smart and for speaking up about social issues during his time.
His writings helped shape the modern Church
The Vatican explained more about the name.
They said Pope Leo XIII is remembered for writing an important encyclical called Rerum Novarum, which means “Of New Things.”
That letter’s considered kind of the starting point for how the modern Church talks about work, money, and social justice.
A priest shared why past Leos made an impact
Father Vito Crincoli talked to ABC News about it too.
“Looking to the history, Leos were strong popes.
Like Leo XIII, he loved his people. He loved his people. His people, he considered man not a machine. A man’s work was a reflection of his dignity.
We don’t know this yet, but it’d be really interesting to know why he took the name Leo.”
Before Rome, he served years in Peru and beyond
Before all this, Pope Leo was working in Peru. He was Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023.
And even before that, he led the Augustinian order, from 2001 to 2013.
His first public words were simple and peaceful
When he finally stepped out in front of the crowd at St. Peter’s, his very first words were short and gentle:
“May peace be with all of you.”
He wants a church that’s open and welcoming to all
He also spoke about the pope before him, Pope Francis, and said:
“The pope that blessed Rome gave his blessing to the whole world on that Easter morning. So let us follow up that blessing.”
Then he hinted at what kind of pope he hopes to be
“Together, we must try to find out how to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges, establishes dialogues.
That’s always open to receive, on this piazza with open arms, to be able to receive everybody that needs our charity, our presence, dialogue and love.”