In the serene pause that gripped the anticipatory crowd, Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti looked upon a multitude of emotional onlookers in St. Peter’s Square and introduced the world to the newly elected pope.

American Pope Leo XIV, originally known as Robert Francis Prevost, was chosen to occupy the papal seat, succeeding the late Pope Francis, on May 8, 2025, after four rounds of conclave voting held by 133 Cardinal electors.

As people delve into the gentle yet assertive attributes that render Pope Leo XIV deserving of the Vicar of Christ designation, a particular small town of about 10,000 people takes great pride in the election of their native, born in Chicago.

Pope Leo XIV graduated from Villanova University in 1977. (Stoyan Nenov/Reuters)

“His desire to signal to the world that he’s a Catholic who prays the way that Catholics traditionally do. Pope Francis was known for his great devotion to the blessed Virgin Mary, which is part of the reason he made the unusual decision to be buried in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore.”

Pope Francis, shortly after becoming the Bishop of Rome in 2013, revealed his burial plans.

“Choosing to pray the Hail Mary was a signal of continuity and piety,” Brennan said of Pope Leo XIV.

Finally, for the namesake, Brennan says he envisions the selection was made as a symbolic gesture.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, was introduced to the world by Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti. (Remo Casilli/Reuters)

“He jumped over a whole century, back to the name of a pope who died in 1903 who left the Church a huge legacy of deep understanding of the place of a human person and the Catholic Church in the modern world,” Brennan said.

“I think Pope Leo XIV, by choosing that name, is attaching himself to a legacy that he can, and I believe intends to, open for a world that’s changed a great deal and needs new light and understanding of the kind he probably associates and finds in the world of Pope Leo XIII,” Brennan said.