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What to know
- The conclave chose American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to be the next pope. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
- Leo is the first pope to have been born in the United States. He is also a citizen of Peru, where he has spent much of his life.
- He was elected leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on the second day of the conclave, by 133 red-robed cardinals who were sequestered in the Sistine Chapel.
Not all Americans were looking for a U.S.-born pope
Rebecca Tabiani, 48, likes the sound of what she’s heard about Pope Leo XIV. But Tabiani, a New Jersey native now living in Rome, is “disappointed” with the decision, agreeing with the long-held belief within the Vatican that the United States holds too much power as it is.
“I don’t like the message it sends to the world,” said Tabiani, who works in forestry. “I think it should have gone elsewhere,” she added, because “as an American living abroad I am ashamed of what’s going on at home right now.”
New pope’s social media posts offer some insight into his politics
In this day and age, even the holy leave a social media trail.
The new pope’s online footprint was quickly dissected on Thursday just minutes after he was elected the next head of the Catholic Church, drawing a mixed reaction from some on the right.
Before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost occasionally posted on social media, including some messages that appeared to be critical of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance and their worldview.
A Chicago field trip these sixth graders won't soon forget
It was no ordinary field trip for the suburban Chicago sixth graders visiting the city’s Holy Name Cathedral today. As they toured the site, the group of nearly 20 students from Everest Academy Catholic School in Lemont learned white smoke had emerged from the Sistine Chapel, according to one of the parent chaperones.
But because Mass was scheduled, the students had to leave before the world found out that American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost had been chosen as the new pope. The group watched the moment on their phones over lunch at a nearby Chick-fil-A.
“It’s absolutely amazing. We were in Holy Name Cathedral on a tour as we got notified that the pope was chosen, so it was just such a memorable experience, one that none of us are ever going to forget,” parent Natalie Naglak said.
Her son, 12-year-old Matthew Naglak, said, “It was amazing to see him come out.”
He added: “I’ll tell this to my kids and my grandkids maybe when I’m older.”
A look at the nuns who followed the conclave election with the crowd
No women may have been allowed inside the College of Cardinals as it voted to elect Cardinal Robert Prevost as pope, but there were plenty of female worshippers outside waiting for the result.
Among the regular pilgrims, tourists and assorted onlookers were groups of nuns. There are around 600,000 Catholic nuns around the world, and they dedicate their lives to a variety of religious services, like charitable work, living in seclusion in monasteries and focusing on prayer.
Pope's brothers trying to wrap their minds around his new job
Louis and John Prevost, older brothers of Pope Leo XIV, share their feelings about his election as pope and settle the debate over whether the new pope is a fan of the Cubs or White Sox.
Chicagoans celebrate the new pope
In Leo’s hometown, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson added some City of Big Shoulders swagger when he posted his congratulations on X. The new pope is from the city’s South Side.
“Everything dope, including the Pope, comes from Chicago! Congratulations to the first American Pope Leo XIV! We hope to welcome you back home soon,” Johnson wrote.
The Cubs got in on the action, too, congratulating Leo on social media. But later learned the new pope's allegiance is with the crosstown rival White Sox.
Another famous ex-Chicagoan, former President Barack Obama, also chimed in on X.
“Michelle and I send our congratulations to a fellow Chicagoan, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,” Obama wrote. “This is a historic day for the United States, and we will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith.”
Democratic Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, who represents Cook County, celebrated the Chicago native’s rising to the challenge.
“I am rejoiced by the election of a fellow Chicagoan and honorary St. Rita High School Mustang as the new leader of the Catholic Church," he said in a statement.
Garcia, an immigrant, also said he is "encouraged by the stances Cardinal Prevost has taken in defense of immigrants, and by his views on the poor and the environment."
Is the pope pick a good omen for the Knicks?
Chicago isn’t the only U.S. city thrilled by the election of Leo, an American-born pope who went to college at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.
Many in New York City also appear to be pumped by the choice.
That's because Leo shares his alma mater with 60% of the New York Knicks' starting lineup, and fans of the Knickerbockers — who face the Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA playoffs — see his new status as a good omen for the team.
Take it from director and Knicks superfan Spike Lee. Today, he posted a picture of Leo to his Instagram grid, declaring that the team will win the championship because of the pope's connection to three Knicks players, calling it a "holy blessing."
"It is divinity. God bless. And dat's da holy truth, Ruth," Lee wrote in the caption, using all caps and some emojis as letters.
Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges all played for Villanova and were on the NCAA championship team in 2016.
Plenty of fans on social media pointed out the blessing that seems to have befallen the team this week ahead of the announcement of the new pope.
The Knicks were huge underdogs Monday when they took the court in Boston to kick off the Eastern Conference semifinals and came back from a 20-point deficit to win Game 1. They did the same thing last night.
"This totally explains what's happening with the Knicks," NBC Sports' Nicole Auerbach said on X.
Or, as comedian Andrew Schulz put it: "New pope went to Villanova. Knicks in 4."
The boy from the South Side who grew up to become pope
Long before he was pope, Robert Francis Prevost was a boy in Chicago.
He was raised with his brothers on the city's South Side and attended St. Mary’s Catholic School, where this eighth-grade photo was taken.
Pope Leo gets the Time treatment
A new pope means a new Time cover. This one features Pope Leo.
Leo, smiling with his hands held in front of him, graces the coveted magazine cover with the headline "An American Pope."
'I swore in a good way': Catholic senators react to first American pope
Several of the Senate's two dozen Catholics spoke with NBC News about their elation that the new pope made history as the first American pontiff.
“Unfortunately, I swore in a good way that this is beeping good," Sen. Ruben Gallego said, adding that he would ask for forgiveness later.
Fellow Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly was also enthusiastic about the pope’s hailing from the United States, saying he is “incredibly excited ... as I think many Catholics across our country are.”
“Obviously, being from Chicago, I imagine he’s probably a Cubs fan, which doesn’t sit that well with me. But it’ll be OK,” Kelly said.
(According to the pope's brother, he's a White Sox fan.)
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said that she is “really excited about this” and that the pope’s nationality had come as a surprise.
“I don’t think anyone projected that the pope was going to be an American,” she said.
“It sounds like our new pope is going to continue the legacy of Pope Francis and be very inclusive, reach out to the poor and the privileged alike and share the message of God’s blessings on all of us and God’s unconditional love,” Collins added.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he has been telling people there would never be an American pope.
“If you’d have told me ahead of time, I’d say no way, never happened. This is phenomenal, Hoeven said.
Gallego suggested that Pope Leo XIV could "help increase recruitment" both to the Catholic Church and religion more broadly.
“Not just, obviously, Catholics, but I think it would potentially reinvigorate, you know, religious movements in this country. And I think there’s nothing wrong with that," he said.
