Pope Leo XIV: First Pope from America

Vatican City —(Map)

Last Thursday, the Roman Catholic Church chose a new pope: Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost. The church announced that the new pope was taking the name Pope Leo XIV. This is the first time an American has been chosen as pope.

When the previous pope, Pope Francis, died in April, there was a period of mourning. This was followed by a large ceremony attended by leaders from around the world.

After that, attention turned to the process of choosing a new pope. Starting last Wednesday, 133 cardinals – high-ranking members of the Catholic Church – began meeting to select a new pope. The meetings were held in private in a famous religious building called the Sistine Chapel.

When the previous pope, Pope Francis, died in April, there was a period of mourning. This was followed by a large ceremony attended by leaders from around the world. Above, a view of the funeral ceremony for Pope Francis on April 26.

To become pope, a person must get more than two-thirds of the votes of the cardinals. After each vote, smoke is released through the chapel’s chimney. If the cardinals don’t manage to choose a pope, the smoke is black. The process went quickly this time. On the fourth round of voting, white smoke was released, showing that the cardinals had chosen a new pope.

The man chosen to be pope was a 69-year-old American cardinal called Robert Prevost. He was born in Chicago and lived in Peru for over 20 years. He has worked hard to help poor people, and to help women have a stronger voice in the church. In 2023, Pope Francis made him a cardinal and chose him for important positions in the church.

To become pope, a person must get more than two-thirds of the votes of the cardinals. After each vote, smoke is released through the chapel’s chimney. The process went quickly this time. On the fourth round of voting, white smoke was released (above), showing that the cardinals had chosen a new pope.

When a new pope is chosen, the person picks a new name. Cardinal Prevost chose the name “Leo” after Pope Leo XIII, a man known for supporting workers and helping poor people.

Pope Leo XIV is the 267th person to take the title of “Pope”. Many people were surprised to learn that an American had been chosen. But the new pope has spent so much time outside of America that many people think of him as being international rather than American.

That could be seen when he first appeared before the public as Pope Leo XIV last Thursday. He spoke to the crowd first in Italian and then in Spanish. But he didn’t speak in English. In his first speech, the new pope said, “Peace be with you all. I would like peace to reach your families, all peoples, all the earth.”

Because of the time he has spent outside of the US, many people see Pope Leo XIV as international rather than American. In his first speech as pope (above), he spoke to the crowd first in Italian and then in Spanish. He didn’t speak in English. In his speech, he said, “Peace be with you all.”

Many people are happy about the new pope. People in Peru rang church bells to celebrate. People in the US also seemed pleased that an American had been named pope.

Based on his background and close ties to Pope Francis, many people believe the new pope’s views may be similar to those of Pope Francis. They expect that he will continue to work on similar problems and issues.

The new pope will have many challenges ahead of him. The church itself is facing many difficult issues. He will also need to help tackle serious world problems, such as the climate crisis,  and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.