The first U.S. pope? Rome reacts to a once impossible scenario

May 9, 2025 | National Geographic

By Owen Matthews | National Geographic

After a relatively short conclave, our reporter was with the crowd in St. Peter’s Square as they got their first glimpse of Pope Leo XIV. Now, Vatican insiders are guessing among themselves how much change to expect.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Hailing from Chicago, former Cardinal Robert Prevost is the first U.S.-born pope in the centuries-long history of the Catholic Church.

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