Robert Prevost has become the first clergyman from the United States to lead the Roman Catholic church, ending the Vatican’s longstanding opposition to the idea of a US pontiff.

The 69-year-old from Chicago has taken the papal name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening.

The announcement, which followed white smoke billowing from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, prompted raucous celebration and delight among the 50,000 pilgrims and tourists in St Peter’s Square.

  • @[email protected]
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    52 months ago

    White smoke from Sistine Chapel chimney signals election of new pope

    Sad. I hoped it mean that they have burned that place down.

  • @[email protected]
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    2 months ago

    I wonder how much money is about to change hands in the Pope betting markets.

    They are voting on the Pope’s new name, too. I have $2 on Pope Bootylicious

    • @[email protected]
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      102 months ago

      How much can I bet on MAGA getting mad he isn’t using his birth name and claiming they should call him by his birth name once they realize he doesn’t support all their views.

      • @[email protected]
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        82 months ago

        That’s true, will they even let him into the country since he went and changed his name and it doesn’t match his birth certificate anymore?

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    2 months ago

    Chicago Pope proclaims he’s “on a mission from God”, looking to “get the band back together.”

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    492 months ago

    Either they elected a new pope or they are burning coolant, meaning the papal headgasket has blown.

    • @[email protected]
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      2 months ago

      The old pope? Wasn’t his right hand man a paedophile, and - as usual - he was moved around and saw no justice, under Francis’ watch? No such thing as a good pope. A cult of paedophile enablers, now and always.

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        2 months ago

        Francis allowed gay marriage and gay priests. He opened the church to criminal investigations when there were allegations of fraud. He got vaccinated against covid and encouraged everyone to do the same. He encouraged people to take climate change serious. He was very connected with poor people and immigrants, didn’t live in a palace.

        He wasn’t perfect, but better than his predecessors. He still denied transgender people and was not very proactive on allowing gay marriage. He spoke against sexual abuse in the church, but effectively did not do much about it. He claimed a zero tolerance, but did not practice it. He was very outspoken against abortion.

        All in all he put the church on a more progressive and modern path and that’s a good thing. I also think the church is bullshit, but they influence a whole lot of people, so it’s good if they follow a less evil path. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress.

        • @[email protected]
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          2 months ago

          He hid and ignored a paedophile friend. No more needs to be said (two more enablers downvoted. Stop lying to yourself)

          • @[email protected]
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            22 months ago

            Do you mean Victor Manuel Fernandez? Seems like he didn’t handle allegations a pedophilia on account of one of his underlings very well, but that makes him a bad leader.

            Although… it’s not an easy thing to handle. I once volunteered in a team that taught small children and there was one person who crossed the line during my time there. (I never witnessed any of it). It wasn’t so bad that police had to get involved. No touchy stuff, “just” bad words. But it was bad enough that we had to fire the guy and blacklist the guy and have a few meetings with parents. By the way, we would have involved police if parents wanted, but they didn’t.

            As an organistion, you’re wholy unprepared to handle ith this situation and it always catches you by surprise. So of course we did not fire the guy immediately. Than it happened again and we were better prepared and fired the guy after a rough talk.

            The curch is not a small organisation and should have already had procedures in place for that kind of situation. But the cardinal himself and his constituency (or what you call it) is much smaller and it may have taken him by surprise as well. It’s only human to make mistakes in a situation like this. He even admitted his mistake shortly after.

  • @[email protected]
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    162 months ago

    Any hope of some actual positive reform with this guy, or are we back to old cult dance of fucking alter boys and sucking political dick?

    • Agosagror
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      142 months ago

      Yeah but he lived in Peru for like ever and speaks good Italian and other languages

    • ThePowerOfGeek
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      372 months ago

      Oh shit, it’s not Trump is it? The Cardinals didn’t go all ‘mad lads’ on us, did they?!

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          332 months ago

          Prevost has faced criticism from advocates for clergy abuse survivors regarding his handling of sexual abuse allegations during his leadership in the Augustinian order and in Peru. The advocacy group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) has alleged that Prevost failed to act against abuse claims involving Richard McGrath, a former president of Providence Catholic High School, allowing him to remain in his position despite longstanding accusations.[26]

          He’s going to be an amazing pope, off to such a great start! /S

  • Guy Ingonito
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    812 months ago

    American pope!

    crowd boos

    woke for an American!

    crowd goes wild

    bad on protecting abusive priests!

    crowd boos

    hates JD Vance!

    crowd goes wild

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      282 months ago

      If he is nearly as politically active as Pope Francis was, grab your sits cause the chain of boos and applauses will go on for a decade