Vatican Announces American Pope

At 12:07 PM this afternoon, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV has been elected by the papal conclave after four rounds of voting. The results not only largely surprised scholars, but also betting markets, which predicted Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State since 2013.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Illinois, has become the first pope from the United States. [More bio] At almost 70 years old, the pope fulfills the conclave's search for a short papacy.

During his time as Cardinal, Prevost largely strayed away from politics, leading to much speculation around his beliefs. Despite this, Leo is strictly against female deacons, stating that “the apostolic tradition is something that has been spelled out very clearly, especially if you want to talk about the question of women’s ordination to the priesthood.” He also is a strong supporter of the “Synodal Church”, popularized under Pope Francis, and a vocal advocate for addressing climate change. On same-sex marriage, Prevost is vague and unclear. While Prevost seeks to continue a Francis-like papacy, emphasizing unity and voicing compassion for queer Catholics, his previous statements shed doubt on his support. In 2012, he “lamented that Western news media and popular culture fostered ‘sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel.’” and, when a bishop in Peru, he stated, “the promotion of gender ideology is confusing, because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist.” Leo has also been accused of mishandling a sexual abuse case and failing to notify a Catholic school of a priest living nearby that had been known to Church leadership to have abused children.