When Pope Francis died, an Augustinian associate texted Robert Francis Prevost, “I think you’d make a great pope.” Prevost replied, “I’m an American — I can’t be elected.” That assumption was widely shared. Many believed America’s global dominance disqualified its citizens. Even San Diego's Robert Cardinal McElroy said he would oppose an American pope for that very reason.

The gambling platform Kalshi gave Prevost less than a 1 percent chance. Only 416 people bet on this long shot.

Catholic theology teaches that the Holy Spirit has input. Prevost’s surprise elevation as Pope Leo XIV gives credence to this belief.

How do we divine this new, unknown Peter? Not by proclaiming him divine, but by asking: What is his inner self? Ancient Etruscan priests read entrails to divine the future; today’s press scrutinizes whatever entrails can be found anywhere.

In the original meaning of the word catholic, Leo has a remarkable record of quiet global engagement, from the grassroots to the elite, a wide-ranging worldview. Modern popes have traveled extensively after their elections, something truly catholic in the original meaning of the word.

Leo's American identity-at a time when two American leaders embody opposing visions of democracy-places him at the intersection of a deepening global struggle over democracy, nationalism, and faith.

Critics argue the Church is historically anti-democratic. Popes like Gregory XVI and Pius IX condemned democracy. The American Revolution hardly registered with the Vatican; after all, the colonies were British and predominantly Protestant. But the French Revolution was a different matter. Catholicism, long entrenched as the........

© The Hill