On Thursday (May 8), Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the new pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Prevost, 69, is the first American to ascend to the papacy.
Or as one user on X put it, “A dude from Chicago named Bob just became the Pope.”
Prevost has taken the name Leo XIV. He is the first pope to use that name in more than a century.
Born in Chicago, Leo XIV is a former head of the Order of St. Augustine and has spent a large portion of his clerical career in Peru, serving as the archbishop of Chiclayo from 2015-2023, when Pope Francis appointed him as a cardinal.
The surprise news of the first American pope has drawn a broad range of reactions from Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
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Shortly after the new pope was announced, Vice President J.D. Vance said, “Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election! I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!”
“We have a new pope! And for the first time in history—he’s American,” said Lila Rose, pro-life activist and founder of Live Action. “Born in Chicago and raised in a devout Catholic family, he grew up serving at the altar and eventually gave his life to Jesus’ Church. He studied Canon Law and became a shepherd to the most vulnerable.”
“He’s boldly spoken on behalf of the most vulnerable – including the unborn – he’s not afraid to speak truth in love,” Rose said. “Pray for Pope Leo XIV. May the Holy Spirit give him every grace!”
Jesuit priest and cultural commentator James Martin wrote, “I know Pope Leo XIV to be a kind, open, humble, modest, decisive, hard-working, straightforward, trustworthy, and down-to-earth man. A brilliant choice. May God bless him.”
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“Pope Leo XIV is a man of God. He looks at every human being equally,” said former Ohio Gov. John Kasich. “Nobody is more important than anyone else, and for those who are downtrodden, those who live in the shadows, he believes they should be lifted. That is a wonderful message worldwide and of course, also here in the United States of America.”
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