On Thursday afternoon, white smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City as Catholics and non-Catholics alike around the world watched with great interest to see who would be chosen as the successor to the late Pope Francis.

As with many cultural events, experts came out of the woodwork. People who two weeks ago had never heard of a single Cardinal became experts on the internal politics of the Vatican. With intense media coverage of an ever-growing list of candidates, the task of finding a new Pope seemed less like a solemn religious ceremony and more like the lead up to the NFL Draft.

On top of that, a recently released hit film titled “Conclave” was still celebrating the Academy Award it won in March. The highly regarded film focuses on the internal politics of the Vatican during the search for a new Pope immediately after the death of the previous one, a film which the man who would be elected Pope recently viewed.

So needless to say, with all of these factors coming into play, the Papal Conclave was being watched by more people and with greater intensity than ever before.

After four unsuccessful attempts, Thursday afternoon found the smoke turning white after a new Pope was selected on the fifth try.

What came next surprised almost everyone: the man chosen to be the new head of the Catholic Church was Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago native. The man who will be forever known as Pope Leo XIV made history as the first ever Pope from he United States of America.

While seemingly a centrist in matters of the Catholic Church, Leo XIV has detractors from both sides of the political spectrum, but to be fair, who doesn’t?

Taking the pulse of American culture as a whole, once beyond the political mudslinging, one seems to notice the reaction to the idea of an American Pope as being a fertile ground for jokes.

The initial reaction saw an intense online discussion whether the man Catholic’s see as Christ’s highest representation on Earth was a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan (a photo of Prevost at a White Sox game during the 2005 World Series seems to put an end to that debate).

Jokes were flying (including in The Mining Journal office) about Chicago getting a Pope before the Bears had a Quarterback that could throw for 4,000 yards in a season.

Needless to say, people are having fun with the idea of an American Pontiff.

While the jokes and memes are fun, it shows that the interest in this Pope goes beyond national pride, it allows us a cultural connection with someone who 1.5 billion people see as the highest possible authority. Often, the Pope seems as if they are something otherworldly, like a character from a fantasy film.

Having an American Pope, who plays Worldle, attends baseball games and watches popular movies, allows Americans to see the Pope in a totally different light. It will be interesting to watch over the next few years how that changes perceptions of the Catholic Church and Leo XIV himself.