Pope Leo XIV shared his first message on the official papal social media accounts this week, continuing the digital outreach of his predecessors with a post focused on peace.

The Vatican press corps is watching Leo XIV very closely for clues to the kind of pope he plans to be, writes William Crawley.

Pope Leo XIV appears at the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for his first Sunday blessing after his election, in St. Peter¥s Square at the Vatican, Sunday May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Leo XIV appears at the central balcony of St.

The pop star was photographed on May 8 in attendance at the conclave election of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, which is a photo that has now gone viral.

The ritual for electing a new pope took social media by storm this week as content creators reacted to the ancient tradition with memes, skits and parodies.

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The U.S. is one of only a handful of countries that taxes citizens living abroad. Thus, thanks to his American passport, the 69-year-old Chicago-born pope, known until last week as Robert Prevost, will likely need to file a tax return to the U.S. government just like any other citizen, experts told Fortune.

Still, it was an exciting moment for the Americans who were at the Vatican that day. Mariner says he and his wife were in a restaurant in Rome at the time, surrounded by dozens of U.S. citizens. When the new pope was announced, Mariner heard many of the patrons joyfully exclaim, “He’s an American!”