ARLINGTON, Va. - s4story -- by Michael F. Bishop for David Bruce Smith's Grateful American Book Prize

The Election of Pope Leo XIV

In a historic turn of May 2025 events, Robert Francis Prevost, of suburban Chicago, was elected to the papacy by the College of Cardinals that assembled in Rome after the death of Pope Francis.

There were several papabile (plausible possibilities) to be the Bishop of Rome, but few analysts considered Cardinal Prevost to be a viable candidate. It had long been an unspoken rule that an American could never be elected pope, given the already overwhelming power and influence of the United States.  It seemed more likely that the Italians would reclaim the Holy See after more than four decades during which the Polish John Paul II, the German Benedict XVI, and the Argentinian Francis had reigned.  The front-runner, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, had entered the conclave with a sturdy base of support, but the cardinals who had been unhappy during the reign of Francis perceived Parolin as more of the same; his momentum stalled—and so did the anticipation about Cardinal Erdo of Hungary; he  was unable to garner the required two-thirds vote; then, with remarkable speed, Cardinal Prevost, a  moderate, emerged as the compromise, and was elected on the fourth ballot.  Though born and raised in the United States, he had lived in Peru and the Vatican for many years, and was considered cosmopolitan enough to reassure his brother cardinals that they could entrust the papacy to a man from a superpower nation.

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In the last few weeks, history has been in the making with the first papal blessings delivered in American accented English in St. Peter's Square. Time will determine how much influence a boy from Illinois can have on the Catholic Church.

For more information, the Grateful American Book Prize recommends Christopher Shannon's American Pilgrimage: A Historical Journey Through Catholic Life in a New World.

History Matters is a feature courtesy of the Grateful American Book Prize. For more book recommendations and information about the annual award visit https://gratefulamericanbookprize.org/.