Free Republic

Why pick the first American Pope now? Robert Prevost was made Pope Leo XIV as a counterweight to President Trump. There’s been little ambiguity about the new pope’s politics and less about the overall agenda. Pope Francis had all but rigged the process to assure another radical successor.

12:10 PM EST

White smoke has risen above the Sistine Chapel, the signal that cardinals have chosen a new pope on the second day of the conclave.

White smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney Thursday, signaling that a pope has been elected to lead the Catholic Church. That means the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis. The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers.

New Pope Elected.

An American Pope Leo 14th

THIS IS THE NEW POPE! His name is Robert Prevost. He’s the first American Pope.He is anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis.Catholics don’t have anything good to look forward to. Just another Marxist puppet in the Vatican.

Vatican City — Of the 266 popes who have led the Catholic Church, not one of them had been from the United States. Until Thursday. The cardinal electors gathered for the papal conclave elected an American from among their own ranks on Thursday to serve as the new pontiff. Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected and accepted his fate as the next Bishop of Rome, leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. He chose Leo XIV as his papal name. While the relative youth of the nation, fewer than 20 of the church's previous popes had served after the U.S....

A new pope has been named, and for Villanova University and Philadelphia, the pope might be a familiar face and name. Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, is a class of 1977 Villanova University graduate, earning his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. The new pope, a 69-year-old Augustinian friar, was one of the 21 new cardinals selected by Pope Francis. According to Villanova University, Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago, Illinois, and joined the Order of St. Augustine in 1977. Following his undergraduate studies at Villanova, Pope Leo XIV earned a Master of Divinity degree...

Catholics, habemus papam! White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel early in the evening, and now Catholics have their pope: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, the first American pope, though he's also a Peruvian citizen. He takes the name Pope Leo XIV. The decision took around 24 hours and saw Prevost's election on the fourth vote. Some background on Pope Leo XIV: Born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, Prevost entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) in 1977 and made his solemn vows in 1981 ... His career in the Church has been marked...

His last retweet, on April 14, slams the Trump administration's deportation of undocumented migrant and Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador. The post reads: 'Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?' Pope Leo XIV also shared several articles that address Catholic JD Vance's stance on immigration. One of them is titled: 'JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others.'

He emerged on the balcony, smiling, to greet the tens of thousands of cheering, jubilant Catholics in St. Peter’s Square: the first American pope. On Thursday afternoon—evening, in Rome—on a beautiful sunny day, Cardinal Robert Prevost from Chicago was elected the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He announced his new papal name: Pope Leo XIV. Prevost, a 69-year-old from the Augustinian religious order, had been considered a moderate candidate with solid practical skills in dealing with Vatican politics but similar priorities to Pope Francis on the matters of immigrants and the poor. He has held somewhat more traditional...

The Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops is charged with overseeing investigations into bishops accused of negligence, cover-ups, or improperly handling clerical sexual abuse allegations. The Chicago Sun-Times reported Feb. 26 that in September 2000, Fr. James Ray was permitted to live at St. John Stone Friary, a house of the Chicago province of the Augustinian religious order. The friary is half a block from a parish elementary school. According to diocesan records, the move required approval by now-Bishop Robert Prevost, who was then an Augustinian provincial superior. Prevost, now a diocesan bishop in Peru, was received in a private audience by...

Could Cardinal Prevost be the first American pope?Seemingly out of nowhere, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is being discussed as a serious candidate in the upcoming conclave.Why this piece is important: Prevost is being seriously considered as a papal candidate—but questions surround his silence and his actions as Prefect for the Dicastery of Bishops. The big picture: Prevost has cooperated in advancing Francis’ agenda, facilitated the appointment of heterodox bishops throughout the world, and tacitly denied the traditional teaching on the episcopate. Flashpoint: He oversaw the deposition of the most conservative U.S. bishop (Strickland) and the appointment of a notorious liberal...

Robert Prevost has been named as the new Pope and will become Francis' successor following two days of voting inside the Sistine Chapel. The pontiff, who will be named Pope Leo XIV, is the 267th Holy Father - becoming the religious leader of Catholics across the globe. The 69-year-old is also history's first American pope. His name was announced after cardinal Mamberti uttered the words 'Habemus papam!' Latin for 'We have a pope!' from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica. Chants of 'Leon, Leon' ran through the crowds who had gathered in St Peter's Square, with some appearing to be...

Want to know how long the new pope has been active in pro-life? - Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was co-founder of the campus right-to-life organization “Villanovans for Life”—the oldest college pro-life club in the U.S. (he was Class of 1977)! @samuelhlee - @JennieMFL Love that our new Pope is a marcher for Life! 🎉🎈👏 - Robert Prevost @drprevost Marcha por la vida en Chiclayo. ¡Defendamos la vida humana en todo momento! - @CatHadro And in a sentence I never thought I would write - Pope Leo XIV once retweeted my husband’s news article. “Catholic group to Illinois...

Before Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became pope, a social media account under his name shared criticisms of the Trump administration’s positions on immigration.Months before Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became the first American pope, a social media account under his name expressed criticism of Vice President JD Vance, sharing an article that called the vice president’s interpretation of Christian doctrine “wrong.” The piece, published in The National Catholic Reporter, was a rebuttal to Mr. Vance’s interpretation of a Catholic teaching that he had used to defend the Trump administration’s deportation policies. The post on X, which the account shared in February,...

Social media posts from Robert Prevost, newly named Pope Leo XIV, show recent criticism of the Trump administration's immigration policies. Why It Matters President Donald Trump's push for mass deportations has been getting held up in courts nationwide. Within the first 100 days of his second term, the president invoked the Alien Enemies Act, granting him authority to deport and detain noncitizens. The implementation was originally blocked in court. What To Know Prevost, 69, on Thursday became the first American pope selected by the Catholic Church. He was a missionary, then a Vatican official after spending years in Peru as...

The newly elected Pope Robert Francis Prevost, who has since been renamed Pope Leo XIV, spent the last several years reposting criticisms of President Trump’s policies. Robert Francis Prevost spent the last several years retweeting posts on his official X account, @drprevost, dozens of articles and posts critical of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance.