The numbers, as the saying goes, don’t lie. And heading into the conclave two days ago, anyone who could count had reason to expect a pope at least in the mould of Pope Francis, who appointed the majority of the cardinal electors.
Even so, few predicted the first American Bishop of Rome to emerge in the person of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost – and the second pope in a row to arrive in Rome from South America.
The most important unknown about the new pope isn’t what he will teach but how he will govern
The joy of the crowd in Rome was sincere, it always is, and its enthusiasm didn’t audibly dip or spike noticeably as his name was formally read out by the cardinal deacon with the famous words Habemus papam – it was already at fever pitch.
Romans, and Catholics everywhere, are conditioned to celebrate a new pope, whomever he may be and wherever he is from.
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