08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
First American pope sparks flood of viral memes
The Catholic Church has elected its first-ever American Pope, and the internet is having a field day.
Chicago-born missionary Robert Prevost took the name Leo XIV on Thursday, May 8, becoming the successor of Pope Francis, who died on April 21. Prevost, 69, spent his career ministering in South America and recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments.
His Midwest upbringing quickly stirred discourse and memes online.
Many cracked jokes about what it will be like to have an American at the helm of the Augustinian religious order, referencing mundane staples of American culture the new pontiff likely grew up with.
X user @HeroDividend shared an image of Vatican City with images of a Costco, restaurant chain Waffle House and popular Midwest gas station Buc-ees photoshopped over the buildings with the caption: 'Vatican City after electing an American Pope.'
'Do we have a photo of the new pope at the bean,' asked @meganconye23, referencing the landmark reflective sculpture, officially titled 'Cloud Gate,' in the pope's hometown.
In another nod to Prevost's Chicago upbringing, @biz_socks shared a photo of deep dish pizza with the caption, 'New Pope serving the body of Christ at mass.'
On X, Netflix shared a screenshot from its show 'Emily in Paris' in which Lily Collins' title character says cheerfully, 'I'm from Chicago, but I moved here for a job.'
Popeyes also got in on the conversation, tweeting 'pope yes,' in a playful nod to the franchise's name.
Fans of pop singer Lorde pointed out that the singer announced her upcoming Ultrasound Tour on social media right as the new pope was unveiled, joking that she really is 'kind of like a prettier Jesus,' referencing a line from her 2021 song 'Solar Power.'
Others focused on Prevost's political views, clarifying his stances on President Donald Trump's administration, the LBGTQ+ community, immigration and more.
'The new Pope's most recent tweet is a retweet of a criticism of @realDonaldTrump's treatment of migrants,' @AlexanderMcCoy4 pointed out, along with a screenshot of the new pope's X account.
@CalltoActivism reshared one of Prevost's February posts in which he called out the vice president, noting that 'J.D. Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others.'
'Holy moly,' read the retweet from the Joe Gallina-founded account.
Prevost is the 267th pope, and was elected by the Catholic Church's cardinals just a day after the conclave began. He was selected by 133 red-robed cardinals who gathered in the Sistine Chapel, and will now lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
