The Conclave That Named an American: How 'Bob' Became Pope Leo

When the 2025 conclave began, no one expected an American pope. By its end, Cardinal Robert Prevost had been elected and taken the name Pope Leo XIV.

The outcome defied expectations that had shaped commentary before the cardinals sealed themselves inside the Sistine Chapel. An American pontiff had long been considered unlikely, given the global weight the papacy would place on a superpower's native son.

Prevost — known to many simply as "Bob" — emerged as the choice of his peers after the voting concluded. He now leads the Roman Catholic Church as Leo.

A behind-the-scenes account of the conclave, published by NPR, traces the shifts inside the cardinal-electors' discussions that carried the Chicago-born prelate to the Chair of St. Peter.

The new pope's image, photographed at the Vatican by Franco Origlia for Getty Images, circulated worldwide within minutes of his first appearance.

For arts and culture watchers, the election closes one chapter of Vatican spectacle — the smoke, the bells, the crowds in St. Peter's Square — and opens another: how an American pope will shape the church's cultural voice in the years ahead.