Deep Dive: An American Pope–How it happened and what it means

Deep Dive: An American Pope–How it happened and what it means

May 8, 2026 · 45 min

About this episode

The episode examines the election of Leo XIV as the first American pope and the implications of this historic event.

One year ago today, Leo XIV was elected the first pope from the United States of America. A year into his papacy, we examine how the U.S. evolved from a nation with a long history of anti-Catholicism to one welcoming an American-born pope, and why the cardinals defied a longstanding taboo against a pope from a global superpower. Interviews include: - Kathleen Sprows Cummings, the John A. O’Brien Collegiate Professor of American Studies and History at the University of Notre Dame - Christopher Lamb, CNN Vatican Correspondent and author of The Outsider: Pope Francis and the Battle to Reform the Church and American Hope: What Pope Leo XIV Means for the Church and the World - J.D. Long García, senior editor at America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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