How Front Pages Around the World Covered the Selection of Pope Leo XIV

Newspapers around the world covered on Friday the choice of a new Pope, Robert Francis Prevost, who is called Leo XIV, with great photos, plays with words and heads his head to his nationality.

Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago, made history as the first Pope in North America, and many tabloids and broad leaves played his background as Americans.

Many rookies used the Latin phrase “Habemus Papam”, which means “we have a Pope.” For English newspapers, it was a strange appearance of a foreign phrase in a headline.

Cardinal Dominique Mamberti or France used that phrase, causing cheers, after it emerged on the papal balcony of the Basilica of San Pedro to present the new Pope.

Occasionally, the newspapers ran with images of Leo XIV while greeted the world as a potato for the first time, greeting the crowds of the papal balcony.

L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, which is in Italian, had a full page propagation with a Latin head that resulted in: “We have a Pope. Robert Francis Prevost, who gave the name of Leo XIV.”

Many foreign points of sale highlighted the US roots of Pope Leo XIV.

Irish Daily Mirror led with “Let’s Ore” and Le Temps, a Swiss newspaper in French, was with “Habemus Papam.”

The Sun, a British tabloid, declared “God bless Americans.”

The newspapers in Chicago highlighted the Pope, who grew up in Dolton, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, as a city’s hero.

The Chicago Tribune claimed Pope Leo XIV for the city, writing “Pope de Chicago.”

The cover of Chicago Sun-Times said “da Pope!” In a shameless allusion to the Chicago Bears, the football team nicknamed by fans like “Da Bears”.

The inquiring of Philadelphia, who brought the headline “an American Pope”, hastened to notice in a subtitle that Pope Leo XIV is a student at the University of Villanova, the Catholic School based in a suburb of Philadelphia.

While Corriere della Sera or Milan said “Il Pope American”, Correo of Peru proclaimed “a Peruvian Pope.”

Although Pope Leo XIV is not of Peruvian birth, some in the country have claimed him as one of his. He lived in Peru as a missionary for many years, before serving as a bishop of the diocese of Chiclayo, a city in northern Peru, from 2015 to 2023.

El Mercurio, a Chilean newspaper, committed to its owner, calling Pope Leo XIV both Peruvian and American. (He is a dual citizen).

Some newspapers decided to lead with the papal name of the Pope instead of his background or nationality.

Many points of sale, from Diário de Notícias in Portugal and Libération in France, had headlines that said “Leo”. These points of sale decided to publish a more pious stance, imagining Pope Leo XIV with his hands together in prayer.

Others cited the first message of Pope Leo XIV as the leader of the Catholic Church: “” Peace be with you, “the head of San Francisco Chronicle read.