American priests posing with American flags after the election of Pope Leo XIV Diarmuid Pepper/The Journal
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'Did he just say Prevost?’: St Peter’s Square stunned by first American Pope, Leo XIV

‘When I found out that it was actually an American pope, I was like, “okay, this is crazy”.’
9.11pm, 8 May 2025
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LAST UPDATE | 8 May 2025

Diarmuid Pepper in Rome

ABOUT FIVE MINUTES before the white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, I was sitting in the shade, out of eyesight of the famous chimney.

I felt a knot in my stomach – I had come all this way and missed the famous white smoke.

However, it was a false alarm and the giant cheer that went up in the Square was in fact caused by… a baby seagull.

When the real thing happened a few minutes later I was as ready as could be.

Noise erupted in the Square, babies were hoisted into the air, and applause rose up.

It was then over an hour before the new pope came to the central balcony of the Basilica.

“Is it Tagle?” asked one person, in reference to one of the media’s front-runners, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, dubbed the “Asian Francis”.

“I think it’s Zuppi,” said a priest, in reference to Matteo Zuppi.

Us Irish are everywhere and beside me I heard an Irish accent.

As we awaited the new pope to appear from the central balcony, he told me that it felt “spiritual” to see the white smoke.

“I wouldn’t class myself as a once-a-week Mass goer, but my mother is and the first thing I did was give her a quick ring and say, ‘Ma, turn on your camera on WhatsApp so I can show you the smoke.

“It’s just overwhelming and absolutely fabulous and a once-in-a-lifetime for somebody not from here.

“It’s something that you have to tick off on your bucket list.”

He remarked that whoever emerged from the balcony would “have his work cut out for him”.

“The time we are in, hopefully he can unite the people and bring some kind of peace to this world.”

Cardinal Dominique Mamberti then emerged to say the famous “Habemus papam” – “we have a pope” in Latin.

He then announced that it was a Cardinal by the name of Robert Prevost who was elected to the office.

“Did he just say Prevost?” asked one person.

Cardinal Mamberti then announced papal name, Leo XIV.

“Did he say Leo?”

No one, including myself, seemed to know who he was – the name of Cardinal Robert Prevost didn’t appear on any list of “papabile” that I had read.

However, some young Americans close to me seemed to know the score after looking him up on their phone.

“He’s spent a lot of time working in Peru,” one of them said.

I spoke to them after Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Prevost, had re-entered St Peter’s Basilica.

“He wasn’t a name that we were expecting at all,” said one of the men. “But he’s a name we’re very happy to hear.”

The other man remarked that he came to Rome for the current Jubilee Year within the Church and did not expect to be here for a conclave.

He also didn’t expect it to end so soon.

“I was expecting it to go on maybe into next week, so it’s really crazy to be here for the new pope.”

When the new pope headed back inside St Peter’s, everyone with an American flag found themselves mobbed by the media.

I myself grabbed a quick word with Andrea Gallardo from Texas.

“I don’t speak Italian but when the people around me told me he was American, I was just so excited.

“I was like, ‘oh my God’, just knowing that our new pope is from the same place as I am is just very exciting.”

She said she never heard of Cardinal Prevost as being a front-runner and that she assumed one of those named as a front-runner in the media would become pope.

“But when I found out that it was actually an American pope, I was like, ‘okay, this is crazy’.”

She said she was “born and raised Catholic” and it was special to be there for the white smoke and to see the first American pope.

IMG_9165 Andrea Gallardo from Texas posting outside St Peter's Square with an American flag after Pope Leo XIV appeared Diarmuid Pepper / The Journal Diarmuid Pepper / The Journal / The Journal

Meanwhile, Vatican observers on either side of the political divide are trying to stake their claim.

Some call him a liberal, while others enjoyed the fact that he wore more traditional papal attire, perhaps a nod to a return to traditionalism and away from the progressivism of Francis.

And once the crowds had started to disperse, I met more Irish people in the Square.

Father Mark English, a priest in Co Meath, was joined by Aifric and Roisin.

Fr English was thankfully on hand to deliver a crash course on who the new pope is.

He said it was extraordinary to be in the Square and noted that Leo XIV was an Augustinian priest and a missionary priest in South America.

He was also a Bishop in Peru and headed the Augustinian Order in Rome, and was appointed by Francis to the body that oversees who is chosen as a bishop.

“He certainly was a man that was going to be in the reckoning if they were looking for a compromise candidate,” said Fr English.

However, when it was put to Fr English that Leo XIV is a “liberal”, he shook his head and instead described him as a “unifying pope, who will bring everyone together”.

“He is a steady man to continue on the onward journey, with the inspiration of the previous popes as well.”

Meanwhile, Roisin said she organised to come over for the conclave with other young Catholics from Ireland “to see the global Church in action”, while Aifric said “there was a real sense of excitement and joy” throughout.

“At one point we’re looking at a little baby bird being fed and then the next thing you know, the smoke is coming out and everyone is going crazy and the bells start to ring.”

And as for the man himself, he opened with “peace be with you”.

A Vatican spokesperson said this was in keeping with the Easter message, as these were the first words the Risen Jesus said to the disciples, according to John’s Gospel, when he found them in hiding following his crucifixion.

He added: “God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail.”

He also thanked Francis, as well as the cardinals who elected him.

And in a nod to Francis, who began the historic Synod on Synodality, Leo XIV remarked that he wants a “synodal Church”.

However, during his time in leadership positions in the Church, Prevost was the target of criticism for his handling of sexual abuse allegations made against priests.

Victims of alleged abuse at the hands of priests in Peru said he failed to investigate their complaints.

His diocese denied he had been involved in any cover-up.

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