Jason Horowitz

And it's revealed that he's taken the name Pope Leo XIV, and all of a sudden we have an American pope. And then a few minutes later, the new pope steps out onto the balcony. And what does he say, this pope from America? So this pope from America comes out and he is speaking Italian. Peace be with you all. And he addresses the crowd and he says, peace be upon you.

And it's revealed that he's taken the name Pope Leo XIV, and all of a sudden we have an American pope. And then a few minutes later, the new pope steps out onto the balcony. And what does he say, this pope from America? So this pope from America comes out and he is speaking Italian. Peace be with you all. And he addresses the crowd and he says, peace be upon you.

And he makes it clear that he sees himself in the continuum of Francis. He names Francis twice. He talks about wanting a missionary church, and that's something also very much in the mold of Francis. He wants pastors. He wants a church that goes out there. He wants a church that's close to people.

And he makes it clear that he sees himself in the continuum of Francis. He names Francis twice. He talks about wanting a missionary church, and that's something also very much in the mold of Francis. He wants pastors. He wants a church that goes out there. He wants a church that's close to people.

He talks about something which to secular ears probably doesn't mean anything at all, but it's something called synodality, which is this idea of consulting with the faithful, having their ideas sort of trickle up. to the church and through big meetings with bishops and laypeople. So that was Francis' major vision for how the church worked.

He talks about something which to secular ears probably doesn't mean anything at all, but it's something called synodality, which is this idea of consulting with the faithful, having their ideas sort of trickle up. to the church and through big meetings with bishops and laypeople. So that was Francis' major vision for how the church worked.

And the fact that Pope Leo said that on the balcony was taken as a huge sign that that was going to continue. Amen.

And the fact that Pope Leo said that on the balcony was taken as a huge sign that that was going to continue. Amen.

So by the end of his speech, everyone in that piazza who was hungry for more Francis, who wanted to make sure that the church continued to be inclusive, who wanted that pastoral sense that Francis cared about so much, everyone who wanted that to keep going felt like that legacy was perhaps protected.

So by the end of his speech, everyone in that piazza who was hungry for more Francis, who wanted to make sure that the church continued to be inclusive, who wanted that pastoral sense that Francis cared about so much, everyone who wanted that to keep going felt like that legacy was perhaps protected.

So like Francis, yes, but I don't think we got another Francis. I think that there are differences here. I think that they're not only two different people with two different backgrounds, but I think that maybe they have different ideas about the world and maybe the church. The issue is though, is that we don't really know much right now about Pope Leo. He's only been Pope for a few hours.

So like Francis, yes, but I don't think we got another Francis. I think that there are differences here. I think that they're not only two different people with two different backgrounds, but I think that maybe they have different ideas about the world and maybe the church. The issue is though, is that we don't really know much right now about Pope Leo. He's only been Pope for a few hours.

There's not much paper on him. So that's why we're all looking at his life story. We're looking at his career. We're looking at his path in the church, trying to figure out if there are clues to how he might actually govern as Pope Leo. We're trying to figure out if, in fact, past is prologue here.

There's not much paper on him. So that's why we're all looking at his life story. We're looking at his career. We're looking at his path in the church, trying to figure out if there are clues to how he might actually govern as Pope Leo. We're trying to figure out if, in fact, past is prologue here.

Well, the first and, you know, in a way, most interesting thing about Pope Leo is that he was born in Chicago. And for a long time, the idea of having an American pope was just a non-starter. So to see birthplace Chicago, Illinois, on the biography of the Vatican website right now for the Holy Roman Pontiff is sort of stunning.

Well, the first and, you know, in a way, most interesting thing about Pope Leo is that he was born in Chicago. And for a long time, the idea of having an American pope was just a non-starter. So to see birthplace Chicago, Illinois, on the biography of the Vatican website right now for the Holy Roman Pontiff is sort of stunning.

Sure. Well, there's a long tradition of the idea that it was just impossible to have an American pope first because of geography. It was just seen as too far before planes and trains and things started moving fast. But then once America became a superpower, there was really a feeling, especially after World War II, that you couldn't put – so much power in the hands of one country.

Sure. Well, there's a long tradition of the idea that it was just impossible to have an American pope first because of geography. It was just seen as too far before planes and trains and things started moving fast. But then once America became a superpower, there was really a feeling, especially after World War II, that you couldn't put – so much power in the hands of one country.

You couldn't have the major superpower on Earth, the largest economy, the country that was delivering the Marshall Plan and sculpting the global order. You couldn't also have someone from that country also be the head of the Roman Catholic Church. That's fascinating. So for a long time, it was just seen as concentrating too much power in the hands of one country.

You couldn't have the major superpower on Earth, the largest economy, the country that was delivering the Marshall Plan and sculpting the global order. You couldn't also have someone from that country also be the head of the Roman Catholic Church. That's fascinating. So for a long time, it was just seen as concentrating too much power in the hands of one country.