Pope Leo XIV ElectedCEFR A2
16 May 2025
Adapted from Melissa Vida, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Cecilia Milagros León García, Unsplash
On May 8 the Vatican announced a new pope after three unsuccessful ballots. White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel and the new pontiff, Robert Francis Prevost, took the name Pope Leo XIV. Pope Francis had served from 2013 until his death on April 21, 2025.
Pope Leo XIV is a US citizen by birth and became a Peruvian national in 2015. He was born in Chicago and then worked many years in northern Peru. He was appointed bishop of Chiclayo in 2015 and can vote in the 2026 presidential elections. In St. Peter's Square he spoke in Spanish and thanked his former diocese, and news from Chiclayo showed people reacting with joy.
Difficult words
- ballot — paper or choice used in an electionballots
- pontiff — leader of the Roman Catholic Church
- citizen — a person who legally belongs to a country
- national — a person who holds the nationality of a country
- diocese — an area of churches led by a bishop
- appoint — to give someone an official job or positionappointed
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Discussion questions
- How would you feel if people in your town reacted with joy to a leader?
- Do you know any leader who changed nationality? Tell one example.
- Have you ever been to a large public square event? Describe it briefly.
