White Smoke Rises!
On Thursday, May 8th, white smoke had risen from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that a new Pope had been elected. As a Pope, his responsibility is to preserve, interpret, and teach the faith of Christianity, acting as the leader of around 2.35 billion Christians worldwide today.
How Does One Become Pope?
Before exploring who this Pope is, allow ourselves to understand what it takes to become the Pope. Becoming Pope is a rigorous progress, but it is technically achievable for any men.
Step 1: Be a male upon birth.
Step 2: Devout yourself to Christianity, beginning with Baptism.
Step 3: Consider becoming a priest.
Step 4: Become a Bishop. To become a Bishop, you must be part of the list that the current Bishops make for the case that a Bishop steps down and a priest needs to step up. The minimum requirements for Bishops are to have at least 5 years experience as a Priest and a PhD in Theology. On top of that, top priests in the list have to attend an interview and a congress of Bishops decides the decision… also, the current Pope can veto that decision.
Step 5: Become a Cardinal. Unlike the complicated process of becoming a Bishop, Cardinals are appointed by the Pope directly.
Step 6: Wait for the Pope to resign or pass away. Afterwards, Cardinals vote among each other on who becomes the new Pope.
Step 7: Achieve at least a 2/3 majority vote from your fellow Cardinals to become Pope.
For reference, there are around 400 000 priests, around 5 500 Bishops, and over 200 Cardinals, of which only over 100 Cardinals can participate in the voting process. Once the new Pope is decided, they must provide themselves a new name, similar to enacting a new birth.
Background Story
In 1977, he earned a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and later, he received his theological education at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Afterwards, he was ordained a Priest in Rome in 1982.
From 1982 to 2014, Priest Prevost was praised over his many works from serving communities, instructing Theology to various people, to being trusted with the pastoral care of the Our Lady Mother of the Church. In 2014, he was recognized by Pope Francis and became the Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, one of the main places where he helped many people.
For the next 9 years, he held the title as a Bishop. He continued his incredible works, even serving as president across many Catholic conferences and commissions. He would be appointed again by Pope Francis, and after 4 years of climbing the ladder, he was labelled as a Cardinal on September 2023.
As of May 8th, 2025, Cardinal Prevost achieved the majority vote and deemed himself as Pope Leo XIV (the XIV is roman numeral for 14, revealing that he is the 14th Pope to give himself the name of Leo)
What’s next?
With Pope Leo XIV as the new Pope, he now leads the faith of Christianity worldwide. In other words, he is essentially the boss, starting with the Cardinals to the Bishops to the Priests to every other Catholic. May 8th, 2025, marks the beginning of his time as the Pope and his promising background story and approval from at least 2/3 of the Cardinals signifies that his great work will stretch from there. Moving on from here, it is unclear on what he may accomplish in the future, but with a new Pope secured, the foundation of Christianity is secured again.