UPDATE: We have the first American Pope:
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is now Pope Leo the XIV.
Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum;
habemus Papam:Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum Robertum Franciscum
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Prevost
qui sibi nomen imposuit LEONEM XIV.
On the one hand, he is allegedly pro-life and a registered Republican. On the other hand, he's apparently taken to twitter to tell J.D. Vance he's all wrong...
Or as one tweeter observed:
He's basically Amy Coney Barrett lol pro life but pro migrants.
As usual, Babylon Bee has perfectly captured what happened in the moments following the announcement:
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) May 8, 2025
In an interview with ABC News, his brother opines that he will be similar to Francis...
Others say we should give him a chance:
I get that Leo XIV is not the pope for whom many of us tradtionalists and conservatives were hoping.
But, please...let's have a little charity and give him a chance before condemning him. If he turns out to be another Francis, there will be plenty of time to criticize him later.
— Brian Knotts (@brianknotts) May 8, 2025
UPDATE (6:07pm Vatican - Day 2): WE HAVE A POPE!
UPDATE (5pm - Vatican - Day 2): At the moment, the cardinals are continuing their work. If there is a Pope, we may see a smoke signal in the next half hour. If not, it is expected both sets of ballots would be burned around 7pm Vatican time.
Meanwhile, two of my favorite Catholic commentators, Lino Rulli and Jonathan Morris, have just weighed in on Cardinal Mamberti (a match for me and other members in our fun quiz below):
UPDATE (noon - Vatican - Day 2): Black Smoke. Break for Lunch.
UPDATE (10am - Vatican - Day 2):
There will be up to four votes today — with two this morning. If there is a selection on the first vote, we will see white smoke very soon. If not, we will see nothing until later this morning as the smoke only rises twice daily.
That is, once after the morning session and once after the afternoon session.
Over at EWTN, they ask "will it be today?":
A peaceful St. Peter's Square this morning. Will it be today? #Conclave2025 #Fumata #Vatican pic.twitter.com/VD5Slkmmux
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) May 8, 2025
Meanwhile in Chicago:
Students at Mt. Carmel (Chicago) learning about the process of electing a pope by staging a mock conclave. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/AsClWgfZNJ
— Father V (@father_rmv) May 7, 2025
A catholic elementary school holds a mock conclave to educate their students on the history of choosing a pope. pic.twitter.com/MlfDyDt7Fg
— Catholics for Catholics 🇺🇲 (@CforCatholics) May 7, 2025
UPDATE (9pm -Vatican - Day 1): Black Smoke. No Pope.
UPDATE (4:30pm - Vatican - Day 1): So it begins...and now we wait in hopeful anticipation.
Meanwhile, club members have shared many interesting matches in the comments including: Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke of America, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller of Germany, Cardinal Péter Erdő of Hungary, Cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana of Madagascar, Cardinal Stanislaw Marian Rylko of Poland, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti of France, and Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Spain.
***
This morning the Holy Mass "pro eligendo Romano Pontifice" took place. In his homily, Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re noted:
We are here to invoke the help of the Holy Spirit, to implore his light and strength so that the Pope elected may be he whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history.
That's an understatement.
Certainly, the selection of the next head of the Holy See is of interest to Catholics and even non-Catholics given the influence a Pope can wield in non-church matters.
For my part, I would like to see more "Catholicism" and less "climate change".
At 10:30am ET/ 4:30pm in Vatican City, the Princes of the Church will enter conclave and Raymond Arroyo has the voting order. Papal contender Pietro Parolin is at the very top given his status as senior cardinal.
Former priest Jonathan Morris explains why some think this Italian is in "the pole position" and why he might be a controversial pick given his role in the deal with China that enables the politburo to name bishops.
Over at Spectator Australia, my former theology professor Matthew Ogilvie observes:
"...there is every chance that the shoes of the fisherman will be filled by a new Pope from Asia or Africa. A Pope from those regions will also have a new way of thinking and a new worldview that may be alien to people from the West. To give an example, most Catholics in the West would think about a progressive Pope as being in favour of both social justice and a liberal moral theology. But a Pope from Africa is likely to be socially progressive in terms of foreign aid and wealth redistribution, but harshly conservative towards marriage and family values. It is likely that a new Pope from outside Europe and North America will upend expectations even more than Francis..."
Interestingly, the Vatican just "rejuvenated" the birth records of two African priests - allowing them to vote. (Though only one will be able to participate due to health reasons).
Many conservatives will see this as a good thing:
African cardinals form a significant voting bloc in the conclave
They want "to select a pope who will stand against ideological colonization from the West with concepts like climate change, abortion and gender ideology"
The Africans wants to keep all this out of the Church pic.twitter.com/7vsPKa4miN
— Phil Holloway ✈️ (@PhilHollowayEsq) April 26, 2025
As it happens, my match on "Which Cardinal Are You", was born to French parents in Africa (Morocco to be precise) and is now being touted as "an 11th hour candidate".
Take the quiz yourself and let's discuss your favorite and not so favorite candidates in the comments. Lino Rulli - "The Catholic Guy" - predicts a result on Friday. Do you agree?
Spoiler alert: it won't be a tranny from Kabul...
