NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?

SUMMARY

A new pope was elected Thursday, May 8, and in a major surprise, an American has been chosen for the first time. Robert Francis Prevost will now be known as Pope Leo XIV. In his first remarks as the leader of more than one billion Roman Catholics around the world, the pope spoke of peace and building bridges to an ecstatic crowd in St. Peter's Square.

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who is Robert Francis Prevost?
2. What do we know about the new pope?
3. Where is the Vatican? What country outside of the U.S. did Pope Leo XIV spend many years working in?
4. When was Cardinal Prevost named pope?
5. How many Roman Catholics are there in the world?

FOCUS QUESTION

What is the significance of the pope in Catholicism? As a world leader?

Media literacy: Look at an article in your city/town's newspaper (or closest printed newspaper/website) about the election of Pope Leo XIV. What does the headline read? Who wrote it? Who is interviewed? Did you learn any additional insights as to people's reaction to the new pope?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

Learn more about the implications of Robert Prevost’s election as pope, for both the church and for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. News Hour's Amna Nawaz spoke with Kim Daniels, the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, and Father Tom Reese, the senior analyst for Religion News Service and author of "Inside the Vatican."

Do you know someone who is Catholic? If so, and if they feel comfortable discussing, ask them what they think about the election of Pope Leo XIV. What are their initial reactions and why?

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