The smoke has cleared, the bells have rung, and the papal balcony has once again served as the world’s most dramatic stage. On Thursday evening, Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago was officially named the 267th pope, stepping out to greet the crowd as Pope Leo XIV. With a calm “Peace be with you all,” he addressed thousands gathered at St. Peter’s Square — and about a million meme-makers online.
Within minutes of the announcement, social feeds lit up like a Christmas Eve mass. Meme accounts had a field day, none more so than @ClubConcrave — known among its followers as Pope Crave. The account, run by Susan Bin (who, in a plot twist worthy of a Netflix docuseries, isn't Catholic at all), became ground zero for papal parodies. “I just really love the movie Conclave,” Susan told Rolling Stone.
Apart from this account, there were many others who added to the online traffic. Chicagoans were quick to inject some hometown pride — and their city’s famously polarising food — into the moment. “From now on, all communion wafers shall be deep dish,” one user wrote, perhaps still full from lunch. Another chimed in: “Deep dish Eucharist is here. Chicago wins.” One bold (and maybe blasphemous?) commenter declared: “Finally, Rome will have good pizza.”
{{/usCountry}}Apart from this account, there were many others who added to the online traffic. Chicagoans were quick to inject some hometown pride — and their city’s famously polarising food — into the moment. “From now on, all communion wafers shall be deep dish,” one user wrote, perhaps still full from lunch. Another chimed in: “Deep dish Eucharist is here. Chicago wins.” One bold (and maybe blasphemous?) commenter declared: “Finally, Rome will have good pizza.”
{{/usCountry}}But it didn’t stop at pizza. The memes took on a life of their own and they memes weren’t just about Leo XIV himself — they became a full-on internet celebration of absurdity, reverence, and everything in between. Holy moments? Yes. Hilarious posts? Also yes.
Even President Trump tried to get in on the action (sort of). A week before the conclave, he told reporters he’d “like to be pope. That would be my number one choice.” Days later, he posted an AI-generated image of himself in full papal regalia. Critics groaned, and later Trump said it was a “joke.”
As Pope Leo XIV begins his spiritual mission, the whole world is excited to see what he has in store for them. Until then, the rest of us will be over here, giggling.