VATICAN CITY — As the words "Habemus papam!" rang out from the famed loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, tens of thousands of people, crushed tightly together, erupted in cheers — and tears.
But soon the crowd in St. Peter's Square fell to a hush, as the world waited for the next piece of careful choreography: a Latin pronouncement with the name of the cardinal who had just been elected as the new leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
As Cardinal Robert Prevost's name was announced, a sound of shock rose up. It was something few people expected: The new pope is from the United States.
With a slate of 133 cardinal electors from all over the world — including many from countries that have long had little or no representation in the College of Cardinals — there was speculation that the new pope could hail from the Global South.
After the late Pope Francis' precedent-shattering papacy, perhaps some in the crowd expected another first in papal history — but not this one.
"The last thing I imagined was an American pope," said Daniel Runde, 21, a Catholic from the United States who was in St. Peter's Square with two friends.
"From what I saw as Pope Leo XIV stepped out there was all emotion," said Max Gleason, Runde's friend and fellow Catholic.
Gleason said he was moved by the new pope's vulnerability, as he appeared to fight back tears in his first public appearance as pontiff.
"It seems like he's packing that love in there, and I'm excited for that," said Gleason.
Gleason and Runde liked that Pope Leo XIV spoke about building bridges, and that he seemed concerned with unity in an increasingly divided world.
"Christ precedes us. The world needs his light," Pope Leo XIV said in his first address to the world as pontiff. "Humanity needs him as the bridge to be reached by God and by his love. Help us, too, and help each other to build bridges, with dialogue, with meetings, uniting us all to be one people, always in peace."
But not everyone in Rome liked the idea of an American pope.
One man raced by saying, "Very bad news, an American pope. Very bad news, after Trump."
There is a sense among some that an American pope — who leads a church that includes Catholics across the globe — could tip the balance of power even more toward the United States.
Though he is American, the new pope holds citizenship in Peru as well, where he lived and worked for many years. He even acknowledged his community there in Chiclayo, briefly switching to Spanish in his remarks.
"I thought it was really cool that he spoke in Spanish for a little bit as well," said Runde. "It just alludes to how open he may be and reaching all corners of the Earth and not leaving some behind — like continuing what Francis did."
Faithful and secular alike will all be watching in the coming months to try to get to know the new pope and to understand what his priorities are and which direction he'll steer the church.
And while much remains uncertain, Gleason and his friend were hopeful.
"I can't say for sure," said Gleason, "but just seeing a few minutes of him up there and the emotion that he brought — he just looked like someone who's going to crush it."
Copyright 2025 NPR