Robert Prevost elected Pope Leo XIV; A Historic Moment for the Catholic Church and America.
The papal conclave to select a new pope following the death of Pope Francis concluded. Catholics worldwide welcome Pope Leo XIV.
On the morning of May 8th, white smoke came out of the Sistine chapel, signaling to the world that the 267th leader of the Catholic Church was officially chosen on only the second day of the conclave. “I expected [the conclave] to go longer based on the stuff I was reading, and podcasts I was listening to. It sounded like it would be longer, but the fact that it didn’t is probably a good sign there was a consensus,” stated theology teacher Mr. Manfredi.
While there is no formal limit of how long a conclave can last, Father Jacob said “It may take one day, it may take four days, it may take longer.” Pope Leo XIV is now the third pope in the row to be elected on the second day of the conclave.
The decision being so early was especially surprising considering where the Pope is from: America. “I was stunned that they picked an American.They don’t usually like to have Popes come from world leading countries,” shared confirmed Catholic Bryan Kano ‘25.
While Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, he definitely has an expansive global perspective. The majority of his life, as a priest and a bishop has been spent in Peru, he is the first Pope from the Order of St. Augustine. He also served as the Perfect of the Dicastery for Bishops overseeing the selection and appointment of bishops.
His vast experience will hopefully help Pope Leo XIV lead the church spiritually and politically. “He is going to have to navigate a very very difficult political landscape, and no Pope wants to be a politician. That’s not what they want to be, but at the end of the day he is the world’s most senior diplomat, and he is a monarch and his main issue is going to have to outline the church’s stances on a bunch of modern issues which his predecessor Pope Leo XIII was very effective in doing,” stated Kano ‘25.
In today’s modern world, Pope Leo the XIV will have to deal with the changing world while navigating new technology, just as the previous Pope Leo, Leo XIII, did. “Leo XIII wrote the first social signal Rerum Novarum which was about the expansive technology during the Industrial Revolution,” shared Mr. Manfredi
Our modern day world is also in a time of technical advancement. As Father Jacob reflects on the Pope’s role, he shares “[The Pope] is responsible for the whole of the church before God.” The weight of the Pope’s duty is heavy, as he is entrusted with guiding the Church in this ever-evolving world. Catholics worldwide hope for the best of Pope Leo XIV.
