As America welcomes its first elected Pope, the internet did what it does best and turned him into a meme.
Pope Leo XIV’s election on May 8 sparked cheer across Catholic communities. Online, however, the celebration quickly morphed into lighthearted chaos. Social media users flooded platforms like X, formerly known as Twitter, with jokes about everything from Midwestern quirks to deep-dish theology.
Although Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, spent decades in Peru and has dual citizenship, Chicagoans proudly claimed him as their own. The 69-year-old’s Windy City roots became meme fuel.
Meanwhile, Catholics on social media shared genuine excitement alongside the memes. Many felt that Leo XIV’s American background and Peruvian ties represented a hopeful global shift for the church.
Still, the humor didn’t stop, with some folks comparing the current situation to the 2024 Edward Berger film Conclave. As one user put it, "imagine being some frat bro who went to villanova in the 80's and looking up how your buddy Rob's been doing and he's the Pope."
Check out 37 of the funniest American Pope memes about Pope Leo XIV below:
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"Every Chicago group chat i'm in has asked for a video of the pope walking out to love sosa," wrote @charliebcurran. "feels important"
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"priest on CNN who was housemates with the new pope said that they would celebrate his birthday over an entire week…… if that’s not typical leo behavior idk what is," tweeted @SydneyBattle.
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Pope Leo is going to dye Trevi Fountain green for St. Patrick's Day. pic.twitter.com/0s4shNROSg
— Flappr (@flapprdotnet) May 8, 2025
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The Vatican one random morning: pic.twitter.com/jo8MmTNdSw
— Isaac (@GalaxyPeaBrain) May 8, 2025
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asking the new pope why a loving god allowed the Dave Matthews Band Chicago River incident to happen
— Vitruvius Grind (@VitruviusGrind) May 8, 2025
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