The papal conclave came to a close on Thursday when white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel, and Pope Leo XIV appeared on the balcony of the St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the packed crowd.
The new Pope, who was born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost, makes history as the first American pope. The 69-year-old pontiff dressed in the traditional white cassock, red mozetta, and white skullcap, along with the gold cross necklace and Fisherman’s ring placed on his right ring finger. Pope Leo XIV also wore a burgundy stole with ornate gold embroidery draped over his shoulders. Representing the responsibility of shepherding the Church and its followers, Leo’s predecessors—including Francis, Benedict, and John Paul—also donned the stole following their own elections.
In the lead-up to Pope Leo XIV’s election, there was much speculation about how the new pontiff would compare to his predecessor, the late Pope Francis I. While Leo is presumed to lean more conservative than the liberal Francis, even his style of dress differs from the antecedent pope. When Francis emerged on the St. Peter’s balcony in 2013, he opted for all-white vestments—indicative of his career-defining humility—before donning the stole. Leo, like Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, was dressed in a mixture of red and white, the stole already draped over his shoulders.
While we cannot yet speak to Pope Leo XIV’s papacy, we can glean clues from his approach to his vestments.
