And the Midwest rejoices.

If you've been living under a rock this week, on Thursday, May 8th, the college of cardinals at the Vatican selected the new pope.

This one is different, as he (Pope Leo) is an American, and not only that, he's from Chicago.

His Bio: Illinois Native Becomes First American Pope

Scrolling through social media over the last several hours, there is no shortage of Midwest humor as we have the first American pope. So here are a few of the best ones I found.

And as long as we're talking about Midwestern brands:

There was plenty of speculation as to what Chicago teams Pope Leo supports. Being that he's from the southside of Chicago, the automatic assumption was that he's a White Sox fan. The Cubs tried to debunk this but the Pope's own brother confirmed that he is in fact, a Sox fan.


    Like the Sox, other Chicago teams will need a papal blessing.  

And of course, how will his Midwest-native status impact life at St. Peter's basilica?


'Da Pope' shirts are already in the works, because duh.  

This is The Last Supper now. [image or embed] — JR Radcliffe (@jrradcliffe.bsky.social) May 8, 2025 at 12:20 PM

And we already got the shows 'Chicago P.D.', 'Chicago Fire', and 'Chicago Med' so why not

 

"Chicago Pope" by Dick Wolf, premiering this fall on NBC

— Eric Allix Rogers (@ericallixrogers.com) May 8, 2025 at 12:38 PM

Of course, plenty of comments mentioned Rome now having better pizza, wondering if the new pope saved big money at Menard's.

And my favorite: will he be the first pope to ope?

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Can You Pass The U.S. Citizenship Test?

Many immigrants who want to become citizens of the U.S. have a lot of knowledge they need to know before being granted citizenship. As a naturally born citizen of the U.S., you probably think you know it all, but do you?

During the naturalization interview, a civics test is given. The civics test is an oral test and the USCIS Officer will ask the applicant up to 10 of the many civics questions below. An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test. Think you can get at least 60% correct? Let's find out.

Gallery Credit: Connor Kenney

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