The Pope of the Singularity

A new pope took the Chair of Peter as Pope Leo XIV. The relatively unknown Chicago-born cardinal Robert Prevost is the 266^th person to hold the role, and the first American. He faces a variety of significant challenges, including the Church’s rising budget deficit and a shortfall in its pension fund. The Church also faces an aging clergy and parishioners, with new ordinations and baptisms continuing a multi-decade decline.