Confessions of a Modern-day Papal Sleuth

As soon as the white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, I switched on my television to learn who the new pope was. I quickly jumped onto social media, knowing it would reveal details about him much faster than TV. Plus, I anticipated great memes.

The memes arrived swiftly, even quicker than they did with Pope Francis, simply because the new pope was American. Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, hails from Chicago, and his background was instantly recognizable in the meme universe: Did he ever enjoy Malort? Is he a Cubs or Sox fan? Will God intervene for the Knicks now that he graduated from Villanova? I expected the next wave of information to focus on his early life, pastoral experience, and theological views to give a clearer picture of his leadership style.

Then, I saw a post from someone I followed that included a screenshot from an X account named @drprevost. It had three retweets over three months linking to articles that harshly criticized Donald Trump’s immigration policies. While these weren’t the words of then-Cardinal Prevost himself, they hinted at his thoughts and intentions—an unguarded glimpse suggesting he was active and engaged. I thought, He clearly didn’t have time to clean up his social media, aware that a political backlash was looming. The pope only has about an hour—if that—to prepare for his public reveal. There was definitely not enough time to scrub his timelines.

Then it hit me. Why am I concerned about the POPE cleaning up his social media?

I wasn’t raised Catholic and don’t identify as one; I would label myself a “lapsed Buddhist.” However, I’ve always been fascinated by the Catholic Church as an institution: its rich history, extensive theology, artistic influence, and societal power. I often joke that I treat Catholicism similarly to how some white men romanticize Japan, but my interest is genuine: I am amazed that the Vatican has preserved its mystique in modern times—serving as a bridge between the earthly and the divine.

That’s why I find it strange that, less than two hours into his papacy, I learned more about the pope through his digital footprint than through official Vatican statements or interviews with close associates.