New Pope - Leo XIV

Yesterday there was a new Pope elected in Rome and for the first time in history there is an American Pope. Now that was quite the shock.

Pope Francis passed away the day after Easter. He had been very sick for some time and his death was not unexpected. They had the funeral last week and then the conclave to elect a new pope this week. It was a surprise that it only lasted a couple of days. I think they said there were only 5 or 6 votes. Becky and I watched the movie Conclave last week so we had an idea how this election conclave worked.

I had the conclave on CNN and saw when the white smoke came out of the chimney. It would be another hour before the new pope made an appearance and the world found out who it was... Cardinal Robert Prevost. 

All evening there was an amazing amount of news coverage of the election of the new pope and so much more so because he is an American. As the day went by we learned much more about him from his many friends and relatives throughout the US. 

The Popes of my lifetime...

• Pius XII 1939-1958, 19 years, 221 days
• John XXIII 1958-1963, 4 years, 218 days
• Paul VI 1963-1978, 15 years, 46 days
• John Paul I 1978, 33 days
• John Paul II 1978-2005, 26 years, 168 days
• Benedict XVI 2005-2013, 7 years, 315 days
• Francis 2013-2025, 12 years, 39 days
• Leo XIV 2025-