Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was born in Chicago, was elected Pope.

He’ll be known as Pope Leo XIV.

He’s the first American Pope in history.

“White smoke puffed from a chimney above the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signaling that the 133 cardinals sequestered inside for two days have elected a new pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics,” the New York Times reports.

“The identity of the new pontiff is not yet known but is expected to be announced shortly. A large crowd in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City prepared for the new pope to emerge on a balcony overlooking the square.”

“The conclave to choose the next pope is set to begin Wednesday, with cardinals from around the world gathering in the Vatican to partake in the centuries-old tradition,” the Washington Post reports.

“Cardinal electors will withdraw in the afternoon to the Sistine Chapel to pray, deliberate and cast votes in a secret ballot. They will remain sequestered until the new leader of the Catholic Church is selected.”

“When a successor to Pope Francis is chosen by at least a two-thirds majority, a billow of white smoke from a purpose-built chimney will announce the moment to crowds amassed in St. Peter’s Square and more than a billion Catholics around the world.”

Playbook: “Gloriously, it takes as long as it takes. Could be a couple of days; could be a couple of years. And every ballot paper is burned, and every cardinal sworn to secrecy. Can you imagine the conversations happening inside that room?”

CNN: Here’s how it will unfold.

“President Donald Trump says he knew nothing about an artificially generated image of him dressed as the pope that was posted to his Truth Social account over the weekend,” USA Today reports.

Said Trump: “I had nothing to do with it. Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the pope and they put it out on the internet. That’s not me that did it, I have no idea where it came from, maybe it was AI, but I know nothing about it, I just saw it last evening.”

He added: “They can’t take a joke. The Catholics loved it.”

“President Donald Trump is facing a firestorm of criticism from leaders of the Roman Catholic Church after posting on social media a computer-generated image of himself as pope in full papal regalia as Catholics worldwide continue to mourn Pope Francis,” the National Catholic Reporter reports.

Said Bishop Thomas Paprocki: “By publishing a picture of himself masquerading as the Pope, President Trump mocks God, the Catholic Church, and the Papacy.”

Washington Post: Catholic leaders recoil from Trump’s pope post.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York who is friendly with President Trump, told journalists in Rome Sunday morning that he hoped Trump “didn’t have anything to do with” the image posted to social media showing Trump as the Pope.

When asked if it offended him, Dolan said, “it wasn’t good.”

The New York State Catholic Conference said on X: “There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”

Mother Jones: Leading Catholics condemn Trump meme depicting himself as Pope.

“About an hour after we landed, a staffer came over and said, ‘Sir, the pope died.’ I obviously felt very sad, and my thought went immediately to the pope, but also to all these Catholics who love him. But then it kind of hit me — oh my God — I was one of the last people to talk to him. I just take it as a great honor and a sign from God to remember that you never know when your last day on this Earth is.” 

— Vice President J.D. Vance, in an interview with Fox News.

“As pope? I’d like to be pope. That would be my number one choice.”

— President Trump, when asked who he wants to see elected pope by the upcoming conclave.

“The papal conclave to replace Pope Francis will begin Wednesday, May 7,” ABC News reports.

“Cardinals will convene at the Vatican to begin a process of choosing a new pope, who will become the Catholic Church’s 267th leader.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) fired back after a religious and civil rights group called for her censure over an online post that followed the death of Pope Francis, WRDW reports.

Said Greene: “It’s the church leadership I was referring to when I invoked the Devil. Just so we’re clear, bishops, when I said ‘controlled by Satan,’ I wasn’t talking about the Catholic Church. I was talking about you.”

Time: “Biden—only the second Catholic to serve as President and one who still celebrates Mass most weekends—will likely want to attend Francis’ funeral, according to those in his inner circle. The politics of that might get tricky, as it’s not at all clear whether the current President has any interest in paying respects to a spiritual leader with whom he repeatedly clashed.”

“The funeral of a Pope—especially the first from the Americas, not to mention the first Jesuit—tends to be one of those events that dominates the diplomatic calendar. Its significance is up there with the deaths of icons like Nelson Mandela or a British monarch. It’s a moment that demands delicacy, and that is not exactly a skill set radiating from those in power in Official Washington.”

“Pope Francis has died, the Vatican announced on Monday, ending a groundbreaking pontificate that sought, however haltingly, to reshape the Roman Catholic Church into a more inclusive institution,” the New York Times reports.

Wall Street Journal: “He was openly political, urging grassroots activists around the world to bridge the gap between rich and poor while calling on wealthier countries to better protect the environment. As Western politicians moved to close their borders to refugees, Francis advocated for them and other migrants.”

“In February 2025, he criticized President Trump’s plan for mass deportations.”

Washington Post: “Vice President J.D. Vance was the last known world official to meet Pope Francis before his death Monday, doing so after weeks of speculation about whether the pope — with whom Vance had not seen eye to eye on immigration policy — would welcome him during a trip to Rome.”