"Pope Leo XIV on the loggia" by Edgar Beltrán / The Pillar is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Say Hello to The New [[Pope::The person who leads all the Catholics in the world.]]!
On May 8, 2025, a man named [[Cardinal::A leader in the Catholic Church who helps choose the Pope.]] Robert Francis Prevost was chosen to be the new Pope! He picked a special name: Pope Leo XIV (Pope Leo the Fourteenth). The Pope before him was Pope Francis, sadly he passed away in April. More than a billion [[Catholic::A person who belongs to the Catholic Church.]] people all around the world are very happy about this news!
How Do They Pick a New Pope?
When a Pope dies, special church leaders called cardinals come from all over the world to the [[Vatican City::The small city‑country in Europe where the Pope lives and cardinals meet.]]. They have to be younger than 80. They all meet together to vote for the new Pope. This meeting is called a “[[conclave::A secret meeting where cardinals vote for the new Pope.]].” It’s like a secret meeting where they vote quietly without telling anyone anything.
The cardinals vote multiple times until one person gets two-thirds of the votes. When this new Pope is chosen, they make white smoke come out of a chimney. This is an old way to tell the world, "We have a new Pope!"
Then, a senior Cardinal comes out on a balcony and shouts, "Habemus Papam!" That means "We have a Pope!" in a very old language, Latin. Then, the new Pope comes out to wave hello to everyone for the first time!
What's Special About Pope Leo XIV?
Pope Leo XIV was born in America, in a city called Chicago. He also lived for many years in a country called Peru. So, he knows about America and also about countries in [[Latin America::The region of countries in Central and South America where people speak Spanish or Portuguese.]]. That's something new!
He can speak different languages too. He has helped poor people and also worked with other important church leaders. He knows about old ways and new ways of doing different things.
Why is the Pope a Big Deal?
The Pope does many important things other than religion. He talks about being kind and helping others. He talks about big problems in the world, like how to have peace, how to take care of our Earth, how to help people who don't have a home, and how to help poor people.
People shall listen to Pope Leo XIV, especially when there are wars or when people are not being treated right, to help make the world a better and kinder place
Quick Revision
On May 8, 2025, Pope Leo XIV became the new Pope after Pope Francis passed away.
Church leaders met in Vatican City and voted secretly to choose him.
White smoke showed the world that a new Pope was chosen.
The Pope teaches people to be kind, help the poor, and work for peace.
