Sports fans had one question when Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago was elected as the new pope: What are his favorite teams?

Robert Prevost’s Catholic roots were planted in Chicago’s south suburbs, where he lived in Dolton and attended St. Mary’s parish before becoming Pope Leo XIV.

A Chicago-born Cardinal is getting attention as a possible contender to be the new pope, but scholars say an American in the role is unlikely. Why it matters: For Catholics, the big question is whether the next pope's views will be aligned with the late Pope Francis' more progressive beliefs or the new leader will adhere to a more traditionalist doctrine.

It still may be hard to believe, but the new pope is from Chicago. In just a few days, those who consider Pope Leo XIV their own are headed to Rome for his installation ceremony. Six Augustinians from the Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park,