Bay Area Catholics welcome Pope Leo XIV, first American pontiff

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost arrives on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter’s Basilica for the first time, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in The Vatican, on May 8, 2025. (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images) 

The Catholic Church made history Thursday with the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff. The moment carried special meaning for Catholics in the Bay Area and across the United States, as white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney...