Inside story: how Cardinal Robert Prevost, 'Bob,' became the first American pope

When the 2025 papal conclave began, few observers expected the cardinals to choose an American pope. By the time the conclave concluded, Cardinal Robert Prevost had emerged as Pope Leo, according to NPR, which reported on a new behind-the-scenes account of how the selection unfolded.

Prevost, known informally as “Bob” to some who knew him, had not been widely discussed beforehand as a frontrunner for the papacy, reflecting a long-standing assumption within and outside the Catholic Church that an American was unlikely to be chosen, given the United States' existing global political influence.

NPR's report describes the conclave's internal dynamics that led to Prevost's emergence as pope, taking the name Leo, though the specific details of the deliberations among the cardinals were not included in the excerpt available for this account.

The selection marked a notable moment in the history of the papacy, given the absence of any previous American pope in the nearly two-thousand-year history of the office.

Further detail on Pope Leo's path to the role and the conclave's internal discussions is expected to be covered in the fuller account referenced by NPR.