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The new American pope launches 1,000 memes
(RNS) — Americans quickly started reacting online to the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States. And of course, the memes soon followed.
New Pope Leo XIV themed memes. (Screen grabs)
Amanda Koehn and Katerina Rettino
May 9, 2025

(RNS) — You know how the internet can be: One day it’s never heard of you, and the next you’re the latest meme sensation. Since Pope Leo XIV was announced as the first pontiff from the United States on the second day of the conclave Thursday (May 8), he’s become a sensation among the extremely online for his Chicago background, his math degree from Villanova and the possible implications for sports teams. 

Here’s a look at some of the internet’s funniest memes and tweets about the new pope.


 



 

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