Following Pope Francis’ death on Easter Monday, April 21, the question of who would succeed his position as pope quickly arose. 

After being released from the hospital after five weeks due to respiratory illnesses, he shortly passed four weeks later because of a stroke followed by heart failure.

Once a pope dies, the Vatican enters a period known as sede vacante, meaning “the seat is vacant.” The sede vacante remains until a new pope is elected — a possibly days-long process that requires a candidate in the conclave to receive two-thirds of the vote in order to be elected.

On May 7, 2025, this process began, with the day ending with black smoke rising from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, meaning no decision was made to elect a new pope.

However, by the next day, Pope Leo XIV became the first American pope elected, indicated by the white smoke emerging from the Sistine Chapel chimney.

Pope Leo XIV, whose real name is Robert Prevost, was born in Chicago in 1955 and served as a missionary in Peru — spending 10 years as a local parish pastor and a teacher at a seminary in Trujillo, Peru — and became Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru by 2014.

As news spread regarding his election, individuals online quickly flooded his social media to get a better understanding of what the new pope is like. Notably, his disapproval of many of President Donald Trump’s words and actions became a topic of conversation, along with his love for the baseball team the Chicago White Sox.