Related: <a href="https://catholicreview.org/chicago-native-cardinal-prevost-elected-pope-takes-name-leo-xiv/" rel="nofollow">https://catholicreview.org/chicago-native-cardinal-prevost-e...</a><p>(via <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43928742">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43928742</a>, but we merged that thread hither)
> "Cardinal George of Chicago, of happy memory, was one of my great mentors, and he said: 'Look, until America goes into political decline, there won't be an American pope.' And his point was, if America is kind of running the world politically, culturally, economically, they don't want America running the world religiously. So, I think there's some truth to that, that we're such a superpower and so dominant, they don't wanna give us, also, control over the church."<p><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-pope-could-it-be-american-cardinal-robert-prevost/" rel="nofollow">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-pope-could-it-be-american-c...</a>
“ That the spirit of revolutionary change, which has long been disturbing the nations of the world, should have passed beyond the sphere of politics and made its influence felt in the cognate sphere of practical economics is not surprising.<p>The elements of the conflict now raging are unmistakable, in the vast expansion of industrial pursuits and the marvelous discoveries of science; in the changed relations between masters and workmen; in the enormous fortunes of some few individuals, and the utter poverty of the masses; the increased self reliance and closer mutual combination of the working classes; as also, finally, in the prevailing moral degeneracy. The momentous gravity of the state of things now obtaining fills every mind with painful apprehension; wise men are discussing it; practical men are proposing schemes; popular meetings, legislatures, and rulers of nations are all busied with it - actually there is no question which has taken deeper hold on the public mind.”<p>From the last Pope Leo over 100 years ago.
In his time around the end of the 19th century, Leo XIII was known as the “Social Pope” and “Pope of the Workers”. He wasn’t a radical but opened the door to modern thinking in the church.<p>Presumably there’s some symbolism to why the new pope wanted to adopt this particular name.
From [0]:<p>> Rev. Robert Prevost bears responsibility for allowing former Providence Catholic H.S. President and priest Richard McGrath to stay at the high school amidst sex abuse allegations that dated back to the 1990s.<p>> That's according to Eduardo Lopez de Casas, a clergy abuse survivor and national vice president of the Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).<p>[0]: <a href="https://willcountygazette.com/stories/671124585-if-he-saw-and-stayed-silent-he-s-not-a" rel="nofollow">https://willcountygazette.com/stories/671124585-if-he-saw-an...</a>
The pope is not a subject that typically interests me, but I must admit that I find announcing a decision with changing smoke color rather delightful. I wonder how long ago that started.
I wonder if there is any other event in recent history that is communicated as quickly to as many people as the fact that a new pope has been elected.<p>I was out on the streets when the church bells started ringing here in Vienna as must have all around the globe where there are catholic churches
As a record of how likely people considered this outcome:<p>Prevost was hovering around 1% on Polymarket, and was <0.5% between white smoke and announcement.
Prior to Francis, the last pope we had from a religious order (as opposed to a career diocesan) was Gregory XVI in 1831. Now we've had two religious popes in a row --- Francis, a Jesuit, and then Leo, an Augustinian.
As a Catholic from the Chicago area I'm shocked and surprised he was elected. My group chats and social media is just blowing up with regional pride. God bless Pope Leo XIV!
The prevailing wisdom has been proven wrong on this occasion. He is very much a continuation of Francis's school of thought in spite of the "fat Pope thin Pope" wisdom, and he is an American who has been elected Pope, which was almost unthinkable because of America's economic, political, and mass media domination of the western world.
Very unexpected
Many Italian newspapers (example: IlPost) and, I suspect, many non-US media, report this as “the second American Pope, the first from the USA.”<p>Which, I think, is fair, as South and Latin are also America. And so is Canada. And so was Francis.<p>But I usually find it a hard concept to convey to my fellow local USsians.
Some jokes I saw on Reddit:<p>He is to be referred to as, "Da Pope."<p>"Ketchup to be banned in the Vatican."<p>"He's going to replace Communion Wine with Malört."
The field of candidates in this conclave was relatively open compared to the past few conclaves, so it is a little surprising that the cardinals were able to come to a consensus by the fourth ballot. That suggests that one of the initial front runners (likely Parolin or Tagle) was able to generate momentum early on and get the 2/3 majority pretty quickly. But we'll see in about 30 minutes if the cardinals have surprised us all with someone completely different!
"Pope Bahhb? Oh yeah, used ta take communion from him down at da Catlick Church off Wacker Drive." - Some guy in Chicago right now, probably.
> He most recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments.<p>Maybe I'm jaded but when I read that line I kind of assumed maybe that had a little to do with getting elected Pope.
I'm not a catholic but I decided to watch the new Conclave movie as well as a Tasting History by Max Miller to learn a little bit about it. Very interesting but I'd love a historical movie on some of the past conclaves when the pope managed a standing army.<p>Edit: The Max Miller video was about the baby back ribs cooked in proto-bbq sauce made from grapes that was eaten by a conclave.
The New Pope Robert Prevost is a registered Republican
<a href="https://x.com/TheCalvinCooli1/status/1920534168301130101" rel="nofollow">https://x.com/TheCalvinCooli1/status/1920534168301130101</a>
not about this conclave, but those who find papal elections interesting should look up the election of the Doge (duke) of Venice.<p><a href="https://www.theballotboy.com/electing-the-doge" rel="nofollow">https://www.theballotboy.com/electing-the-doge</a>
I wish him wisdom and good luck to take the task. Hope he continues the great work Francis was doing to help the civilian palestinians facing IDF massacres and starvation in Gaza. Francis called the parish there every day, and even donated the Popemobile to be turned into health clinic for the children of Gaza. See <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/the-popemobile-of-peace-pope-francis-final-gift-to-gaza.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/the-popemobi...</a>
Not a catholic but I kept a tab on the process because the Catholic church seemed to lean towards a very conservative candidate and i was interested to see how it pans out. Turns out we have an American Pope and he wasn't even a top contender.
I would have expected an Eastern European or American pope for obvious political reasons (think Karol Wojtyla). The political commentators will go wild in the next week.
I hope this Pope recognizes that the only way to lead is a personal martyrdom of self interest.<p>A true leader must <i>pave</i> the way, not merely <i>point to</i> it. "I must decrease so that my children can increase" in the words of St. John the Baptist and the actions of St. Joseph, who St. Luke calls the father of Jesus, and who is the living image of the father.<p>St. Joseph's staff only sprouted the life of lilies because it was dead first (Hebrews 9:4, which book the Blessed Virgin Mary probably wrote).<p>(Also Chicago represent!)
"Whereas Francis said, “Who am I to judge?” when asked about gay clerics, Cardinal Prevost has expressed less welcoming views to L.G.B.T.Q. people.<p>In a 2012 address to bishops, he lamented that Western news media and popular culture fostered “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel.” He cited the “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.”"<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/world/americas/pope-candidate-cardinal-robert-francis-prevost.html#:~:text=when%20asked%20about%20gay%20clerics,at%20odds%20with%20the%20gospel.%E2%80%9D" rel="nofollow">https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/world/americas/pope-candi...</a>
New pope: <a href="https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/cardinals/robert-francis-prevost/" rel="nofollow">https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/cardinals/robert-franci...</a>
Looks like he’s a compromise candidate between the Church’s liberals and conservatives [1]. (American and African Catholics are on the conservative end.)<p>[1] <a href="https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/evidence/cardinal-prevost-on-blessing-same-sex-couples/" rel="nofollow">https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/evidence/cardinal-prevo...</a>
Rev. P. Robert Francis PREVOST, O.S.A. (now Pope Leo XIV), Address to the Synod of Bishops, 2012<p><a href="https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_25_xiii-ordinaria-2012/xx_plurilingue/b11_xx.html#Rev._P._lain_Robert_Francis_PREVOST,_O.S.A.,_Priore_Generale_dellOrdine_di_S._Agostino_(Agostiniani)" rel="nofollow">https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/...</a><p><pre><code> At least in the contemporary western world, if not throughout the entire world, the human imagination concerning both religious faith and ethics is largely shaped by mass media, especially by television and cinema. Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel.
However, overt opposition to Christianity by mass media is only part of the problem. The sympathy for anti-Christian lifestyle choices that mass media fosters is so brilliantly and artfully engrained in the viewing public, that when people hear the Christian message it often inevitably seems ideological and emotionally cruel by contrast to the ostensible humaneness of the anti-Christian perspective.
If the “New Evangelization” is going to counter these mass media-produced distortions of religious and ethical reality successfully, pastors, preachers, teachers and catechists are going to have to become far more informed about the challenge of evangelizing in a world dominated by mass media.
The Fathers of the Church, including Saint Augustine, can provide eminent guidance for the Church in this aspect of the New Evangelization, precisely because they were masters of the art of rhetoric. Their evangelizing was successful in great part because they understood the foundations of social communication appropriate to the world in which they lived.
In order to combat successfully the dominance of the mass media over popular religious and moral imaginations, it is not sufficient for the Church to own its own television media or to sponsor religious films. The proper mission of the Church is to introduce people to the nature of mystery as an antidote to spectacle. Religious life also plays an important role in evangelization, pointing others to this mystery, through living faithfully the evangelical counsels.</code></pre>
Anyone interested in st. malachi prophecy of popes, one should go on google books to find it and read it.<p>In essence, it foretold last pope was francis, as peter the roman....
Unexpected. Good luck to him.<p>A Pope and a Trump. Countries divided. Holy Roman Empire again? Trump would make quite acceptable Habsburg - lots of resources and uncanny ability to waste good potential and situations.
Smart play for the Vatican to go with an American Pope to avoid tariffs!<p>(Credit: <a href="https://x.com/ArmandDoma/status/1920530249567056056" rel="nofollow">https://x.com/ArmandDoma/status/1920530249567056056</a>)
Well the markets are up, that must mean something :) More importantly , the conclave did not overshadow any new AI model releases.<p>Lots to learn about the Pope Leo XIV. I liked his speech
"He is the first North American to be elected pope and, before the conclave, was the U.S. cardinal most mentioned as a potential successor of St. Peter."<p>Is that a typo?
Slightly related: the movie "Conclave" (2024) is a great and surprising thriller. Critics consensus from RottenTomatoes:<p>> Carrying off papal pulp with immaculate execution and career-highlight work from Ralph Fiennes, Conclave is a godsend for audiences who crave intelligent entertainment.<p>[video trailer] <a href="https://youtu.be/JX9jasdi3ic?si=sYwqRlK-4hYUnsAa" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/JX9jasdi3ic?si=sYwqRlK-4hYUnsAa</a>