Pope Leo XIV: All about the first U.S. pope in history

Professor Chris Adams weighs in on the selection of the new Pope and what it could mean for Catholics around the world.

Google headline: Pope Leo XIV: Who is the new pope

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first mass as the head of the Catholic Church on Friday—just one day after his historic election as the first North American pontiff.

On Thursday, Cardinal Robert Prevost emerged onto the Loggia at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican following the conclave and the appearance of white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signalling that a new pope was chosen.

According to Christopher Adams, director of St. Paul’s College at the University of Manitoba, Leo is not only American but also a naturalized Peruvian citizen.

He added the new pope has high-level, Vatican-related administrative experience as he was elevated by Pope Francis to a higher role at the Vatican.

“[He’s] got a very close connection to Latin America, but also he grew up in the United States,” Adams said.

“He studied in the United States. He’s originally from Chicago. So, there’s many people who are expecting him to carry on from where Pope Francis left off.”

Adams said there are a lot of factors at play when it comes to electing a pope, including considering the choice from a global perspective and the many issues around the world the Vatican gets involved with.

He added some of these issues include the U.S. tariffs, the Israel-Hamas war, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“There’s a lot of things going on that the Vatican is dealing with, and the new pope will have to be involved with,” he said.

As for the new pope’s choice of the name Leo XIV, Adams said this decision bears significance. He explained Leo was a “close companion” of St. Francis of Assisi.

“But also Pope Leo XIII in the late 1800s was known as someone bringing the church more into the modern world with an encyclical called ‘Rerum Novarum,” Adams said.

“That dealt in the late 1800s with the church and the world of Catholicism and workers’ rights and things like that.”

The Vatican will formally install Leo as pope at a mass on May 18.

• With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé and The Associated Press.