“Americano…”

Pope Leo XIV stands in front of the altar at the Sistine Chapel (Sforza/Reuters/WSJ)

Against expectations, the conclave of cardinals elected a Pope who was the first ever to be born in the United States:

The election of the first-ever American pope stunned the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, defied betting markets and shattered an assumption that the church would never hand its highest office to a citizen of the world’s leading superpower.

But by Thursday, the 69-year-old Prevost had become the natural choice for the cardinals secluded in the Sistine Chapel. For weeks, they had searched for a successor who offered continuity with the late Pope Francis’ dream of an inclusive and humble church—but who showed more deference for Catholic tradition and stronger managerial skills to run a financially strained city-state of global reach.

Even before the conclave began on Wednesday, a geographically and ideologically diverse bloc had come to understand that they had among them an all-rounder who checked those boxes.

The longtime bishop of Chiclayo in Peru was from the U.S., but of the global south. Many of his supporters described the polyglot prelate with the same four words: “citizen of the world.” Years of missionary experience had lent him a reputation as an advocate of the poor and marginalized. He had served in the heart of the Vatican, but not long enough for its frequent scandals to taint him.

A person who checks all the boxes rarely makes the best leader. Let's hope that Pope Leo overturns those expectations as well.