The Pope Is One of Us! Illinois’ Funniest Tributes to the New Head of the Catholic Church

It's only been a day since Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost from Chicago was named the new pope, but Illinoisans have wasted no time having a LOT of fun celebrating the first American pope in history.

Holy Cow! The First American Pope is From Illinois?!?

A few weeks ago after Pope Francis died, rumors starting swirling that one of the frontrunners for the next pope was an Illinois Cardinal named Robert Francis Prevost.

While the thought of the next pope being from Illinois was very exciting, most Catholic scholars agreed that the chances of an American pope being chosen was slim to none.

How shocked were you to see Cardinal Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, walk onto that balcony on Thursday?!?

Shortly after Cardinal Prevost was announced as the new pope, it seemed like the first question that most Illinoisans wanted to know was...Is Pope Leo a White Sox or Cubs fan?

While both teams may claim Pope Leo as their own, here's the truth from the Pope's own brother...

(Sorry, Cubs Fans!) Now that we have that question answered, let's move onto the funny stuff.

Funniest Declarations of Illinois' Pope Pride

If you've been on social media at all in the last 24 hours, you've probably seen a ton of hilarious Illinois pope "tributes", but here are some of my favorites...

Comment byu/LowDownBear from discussion inCHIBears

How Does the Rest of the World Feel About Illinois' Pope Pride?

I'm not ashamed to admit that for the last day I have giggled my way through post after post of pope "tributes", but then I had a thought; What do devout Catholics around the world think of all this?

Essentially we are turning their new Pontiff into the punchline of a thousand Midwestern jokes. Do you think they realize this is our way of showing pride for the first American pope, or do they think it is sacrilege?

This is a truly historic moment, so most of us are celebrating it in the true American way; with humor, pride, and a little corniness.

I really hope the rest of the world isn't cringing, I hope it makes them smile. I also hope Pope Leo XIV can help lead this world into a more harmonious place.