From Chicago To The Vatican: America Reacts To Historic Papal Election

On April 8, the Vatican’s secret papal conclave ended with history in the making—Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago was elected the next pope. News of the first-ever American pontiff, now Pope Leo XIV, sent shockwaves through the U.S., igniting both disbelief and celebration. Social media exploded with reactions—“A Pope from America?” trended worldwide, while churchgoers across the country cried, hugged, and prayed. Catholic leaders hailed the moment as a spiritual turning point for American faith and its place on the global stage. In Chicago, church bells rang for their hometown hero, a former missionary in Peru who now leads 1.3 billion Catholics as the head of the Catholic Church.