ROME (AP) — Six cardinal electors from the United States gathered in Rome on Friday to discuss the election of the first U.S.-born pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost, as speakers played songs like “Born in the U.S.A.” and “American Pie.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin described the moment in the Sistine Chapel after casting his vote, saying, “I took a look at Bob and he had his head in his hands and I was praying for him. And then when he accepted, it was like it was made for him.”
The day after Chicago-born Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV, the cardinals met at the Pontifical North American College, decorated with the Stars and Stripes and a Vatican flag. The college is near St. Peter’s Basilica, where Leo delivered his first address as the new leader of the Catholic Church.
The United States had 10 voting cardinals in the conclave, with four serving as U.S. archbishops: Tobin of Newark, Timothy Dolan of New York, Blase Cupich of Chicago, and Robert McElroy of Washington.
Retired archbishops Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and Wilton Gregory of Washington, along with French Cardinal Christophe Pierre, also joined the gathering.
The cardinals highlighted Prevost’s missionary spirit and core values. Some referred to him by his papal name, Leo, while emphasizing that his American citizenship, along with Peruvian citizenship, was not a deciding factor.
Their main concern was choosing a leader who could unite and strengthen the faith globally.
