Pope Leo XIV

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV 's choice of name signals a commitment to social justice which is very much in line with the late Pope Francis ' global ministry, Catholic scholars say. "I think a lot us had a question mark when they elected an American, and then he selected...

(Newser) - The papacy was held by Italians for centuries before Poland's Pope John Paul II was chosen in 1978, and many observers thought cardinals might elect an Italian to succeed Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Argentina. Instead, they chose a pope from Chicago . Cardinal Robert Prevost took the name...

(Newser) - The Catholic Church has its first-ever American pope. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected by his fellow cardinals on Thursday, reports the Guardian . Prevost, 69, is a native of Chicago who served for two decades in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop, per the AP and...