Pope Leo XIV Expands Papal Footprint to North America
On Thursday late afternoon, white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the cardinals had chosen a new pope on the second day of the conclave. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a 69-year-old from Chicago, is the first pope from the United States. His appointment marks a historic milestone in the history of the Catholic Church, as it signifies broadening of the Church’s global leadership, reflecting the growing influence of Catholic communities in the Americas.
Pope Leo XIV, as he has chosen to be called, is widely expected to follow in the footsteps of Francis in terms of his progressive views and focus on working for the underprivileged. Like Francis, he has “a deep feeling for the disenfranchised, for the poor, for those who were not listened to,” his brother John Prevost told CNN, adding that he believes that his brother will speak his mind.
President Trump, who had playfully and many say distastefully floated the idea of himself becoming pope, welcomed the selection of an American pope, calling it a great honor for the country. “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost,” he wrote in a social media post. “I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a meaningful moment.” While Trump was gracious enough to congratulate Cardinal Prevost, his followers weren’t so thrilled. A social media post disagreeing with JD Vance and one asking for prayer for George Floyd and his family were enough to label him “Woke Pope”, “anti-MAGA” and worse.
As our chart shows, the vast majority of popes over the past 21 centuries have been from Italy, counting 217 out of 267 pontiffs in total. Francis was from Argentina, making him the first pope to have hailed from Latin America and the first outside of Europe since the death of Syrian-born Gregory III in 741. France, Germany, modern-day Syria (formerly the Byzantine Empire) and Greece have been the next most common countries of origin. Since the office of pope has existed for nearly two millennia, many of the countries of origin of popes no longer exist and so they are here listed under their modern-day equivalents. For example, Tunisia represents the Africa Proconsularis, Croatia stands in for Dalmatia, Spain is Valencia and Turkey is Anatolia.