NewsNation meets Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV (left) shaking hands with NewsNation's Susie Pinto (center) and Robert Sherman (right).

Four days after being elected, and making history as the first American pope, Leo XIV met with the world’s media who came to Rome to cover his election. And two NewsNation journalists were among the few who got to shake his hand, say a few words and ask him a question.

NewsNation White House Correspondent, who covered Pope Francis’s funeral, the conclave and Leo XIV’s election, asked the American pope if he had a message for the United States. So far, he has not addressed his homeland. Today Pope Leo smiled at Robert and said he had many messages for our country. So Americans, stay tuned.

The gathering with the world’s media - over 4,000 according to the Holy See Press Office - is always one of the first events on the modern popes’ agenda. It illustrates the power of the press during a pontificate. The Catholic Church knows it needs the media’s help to communicate its message. And that message has never been as counter cultural or controversial as now.

But now news from the Vatican may be received a little differently in the United States. The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, who is also a moral authority for people of all faiths, speaks our language. He understands our reality. And although he has spent much of his life outside the United States, he’s one of us and many Americans already feel it. 

For NewsNation, and its foreign team made up of Sherman and Senior Field Producer Will Budkins, two incredibly talented journalists, covering the Vatican has been a rich professional experience, but also a personal one. Pope Leo was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, where our network was founded five years ago.

Robert and Will have spent nine months in Israel covering the war. They have spent countless nights on the road all over the United States, talking to Americans of all stripes. Each week, they know that depending on the news cycle, they may have to pack their bags and head to the airport at any moment.

And so, after getting a call in the middle of the night, they flew to Rome shortly after Pope Francis died on April 21. And along with them, thousands of other journalists from all over the world landed up in the Eternal City to cover the ancient and mysterious rituals after a pope dies and a new one is elected.

Robert says this story has been different from the others he has covered. “It's been surreal from start to finish. Every moment of this has just felt so powerful and so moving. You very quickly realized that you are witnessing a major historic moment taking place before your very eyes, and just being a part of that is so powerful and so humbling.”

Will calls it a “front seat to history.” For him, it’s deeply personal. “I feel like my family's here with me. I have a very Catholic grandmother and a very Catholic family. And so being able to witness all of this and go back and share it with them, I think it means the world to me.”

Robert describes seeing an American pope born in Chicago elected as a complete shock. “We couldn't believe it because everyone had said again and again that there's no possible way that this could ever happen,” he said. “We were just absolutely stunned when we heard the name."

Will says he thinks Pope Leo could spur a spiritual revival in the US. ”The fact that it’s an American pope, I think it helps revitalize faith within the country and gives Americans something to be proud of,” said Budkins. ”There's no left or right in this.”   

He also sees this moment as a possible new beginning for Americans of faith. “I think that it’s a good opportunity for Americans … to kind of reset themselves and say, what are my priorities and how can I find myself again in faith, or how can I lead or follow in the best way possible?”

As far as their first impression of Pope Leo. “Humble. I think he knows what he wants. I think that he's going to be a decisive leader, and I'm just excited to see how the chips fall,” Will said.

Robert calls him “down to earth and relatable.” The Cleveland native said, “I feel as though I've met people like him in my life, people just from the Midwest who care about this set of values, just seems to be very relatable from all of our upbringings that we've had.”

“But I also think that he's ambitious. I think that he's entering a global landscape that is very treacherous right now, and he has broader goals of unifying the globe and bringing about peace. And I think there are a lot of people who are really rooting for him.”