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!”

The pontiff, who was elected in a conclave that ended last Thursday, will be officially installed as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics at a mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.

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The papacy is a global platform, so the issues Pope Leo chooses to focus on can resonate far beyond the church.

Speakers blasted “Born in the U.S.A. and ”American Pie" as six cardinal electors from the United States celebrated the first U.S. pope a day after Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV.

The papal conclave is convening on Wednesday to begin the process of electing Pope Francis' successor. And for Americans who are visiting Rome this week, it's a chance to experience history."It's

John Prevost, one of the older brothers of Pope Leo XIV, said he briefly spoke with the pope to inform him they were headed to Rome.

The Catholic Theological Union of Chicago is beaming with pride as their alumnus, Pope Leo XIV, prepares for his official inauguration, with messages of well wishes and prayers from the Augustinian Order and the university's community.

A North East priest who was in the Vatican when Pope Leo was elected has spoken of the 'excitement' of the historic occasion.