Current with Claire — Vatican City: A New Pope

By: Claire Brothers

Political Scientist and Analyst

CU Boulder Political Science Class of 2023

Catholics all around the world gathered the morning of May 8, 2025. The smell of smoke and eager onlookers surrounded the grounds of St. Peter’s Basilica, all anxiously awaiting the election of a new pope. Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the Catholic establishment followed the centuries old tradition of the “Conclave”, held in St. Peter’s Basilica, to elect a new pope. Bishop of Rome, Roman Pontiff, Pope, all interchangeable names used for hundreds of years to identify the leader of the Catholic Church. Beginning with St. Peter, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles, the papacy has continued over thousands of years, changing and growing with the church. During the Conclave, cardinals from all over the world gather in Rome, joining together in the famous Sistine Chapel to vote on which one of them will be the new pope. In order to reach this decision, there must be a two-thirds majority. Once this decision is made, white smoke rises from the small smokestack, signifying to the world a new Bishop of Rome has been selected. 

Pope Leo XIV, the papal name chosen by Robert Francis Prevost, was revealed to the world atop the balcony of the Vatican on May 8, 2025, just 18 days after the death of Pope Francis. Following only 3 rounds of voting, Prevost was selected by his fellow cardinals to inherit the holy title and become the next Bishop of Rome. Robert Prevost was born September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents of French, Italian, and Spanish descent (Vatican news). He grew up in the small Chicago suburb of Dolton, known for truck farming and manufacturing (Dolton, 2025). Pope Leo XIV is the first pope from the United States of America as well as the first Augustinian Pope (Vatican News, 2025). He received his primary education at the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers and later attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning his degrees in mathematics and philosophy in 1977 (Vatican News, 2025). Following his education, Prevost began his journey as a Catholic priest, ordained in Rome on June 19, 1982, and kicked off his priesthood with a mission trip to Peru in 1985-86 for his doctoral thesis “The Role of the Local Prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.” (Vatican News, 2025). Prevost eventually received his doctorate in Canon Law and remained in Peru on and off for over 18 years, teaching Canon Law (Vatican News, 2025). Prevost would return to the United States in 1999, but ultimately moved back to Peru in 2014 due to his love of the country and its people. Shortly after, on September 26, 2015, Prevost was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru by Pope Francis (Vatican News, 2025). He was elevated to Cardinal, also by Pope Francis, eight years later in 2023 (Vatican News, 2025). 

Throughout its history, the papacy has held various levels of power and authority, whether political or religious. For most of its history, the papacy was a position of extreme political power, controlling the Papal States and greatly influencing the latter half of the Eastern Roman Empire. Today, the Pope remains the head of the Catholic Church and retains a certain degree of political influence, but no longer holds direct political office/power. Since the first pope, St. Peter, the papacy has faced numerous regime changes, conquests, the rise and fall of empires, as well as some of history’s greatest figures. The sitting Pope has been expected to portray the will of God in the world and to uphold the traditions of the Catholic Church, while also embracing change and moving with the times. Thus far, Pope Leo XIV has shown himself to be a more progressive pope, seen by many as a direct follow-up to Pope Francis. This shift to more progressive popes has been met with mixed opinions from the entire Catholic Church. Pope Francis’s predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, was known as strictly traditional and conservative in all aspects, so much so that he had to resign the papacy because of a scandal. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis assumed the papacy and demonstrated a radically new approach to the Catholic Church. His ideologies and stances on issues such as LGBTQ+, women in the church, and calling attention to oppression across the world (especially of people of other religions) painted the papacy in a new light and gave many Catholics an idea of a better future for the church and the world. Following in his footsteps, Pope Leo XIV has shown to be a champion for many Catholics and non-Catholics across the world, his first official act as pope calling for a unified and equal world, and promised that under him, the Catholic church would be a “beacon that illuminates the dark light of this world” (McKeown, 2025). 

As Pope Leo XIV begins his journey as the new leader of the Catholic Church, the world is eager to see how the church will continue and grow under his guidance. Being the first American pope, Robert Prevost has helped demonstrate the growing universality of the papacy. Pope Leo XIV, with his deep respect for the Church’s past, accompanied by his progressive vision for the future, has the opportunity to continue to shape the faith for over a billion Catholics worldwide. Only time will tell how his papacy will unfold, but for now, the world looks to him with faith and anticipation. 

Sources

Dolton, IL. (2025). http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/385.html

McKeown/CNA, J. (2025, May 9). Who is Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope? NCR. https://www.ncregister.com/cna/pope-leo-xiv-the-first-american-pope

Ott, H. (2025, May 10). Who is Pope Leo XIV? American Cardinal Robert Prevost is the new pope. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-pope-robert-prevost-pope-leo-xiv/

Tracing Pope Leo XIV’s roots in South America. (2025, May 14). [Video]. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/world/the-vatican/pope-leo-chiclayo-peru-roots-rcna206036

Vatican News. (2025, May 11). Biography of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost. Vatican News. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/biography-of-robert-francis-prevost-pope-leo-xiv.html