As Born In The USA plays, American cardinals in Rome celebrate Pope Leo XIV

The United States had 10 voting cardinals in the conclave, the second-highest number of any country.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV concelebrates Mass with the College of Cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican the day after his election as 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church (Vatican Media via AP)

Speakers blasted songs including Born In The USA and American Pie as six cardinal electors from the United States gathered in Rome to share their thoughts on the election of the first US-born pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost.

“I took a look at Bob and he had his head in his hands and I was praying for him,” said Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the moment right after casting his vote in the Sistine Chapel.

“And then when he accepted, it was like it was made for him.”

From left, US cardinals Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the USA, Robert McElroy of Washington, Wilton Gregory, archbishop emeritus of Washington, Blase Cupich of Chicago, Joseph Tobin of Newark, Timothy Dolan of NY, and Daniel Di Nardo, archbishop emeritus of Galveston Houston, attend a press conference at the North American College in Rome one day after US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

One day after Chicago-born Cardinal Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, the cardinals met on a stage decorated with the Stars and Stripes and a Vatican flag at the Pontifical North American College.

The hilltop institution for US seminarians is a short walk from St Peter’s Basilica, where Leo made his first speech to the world on Thursday evening as the new leader of the Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion global faithful.

The United States had 10 voting cardinals in the conclave, the second-highest number of any country.

Four of them currently serve as archbishops in the US: Cardinal Tobin of Newark, New Jersey; Timothy Dolan of New York; Blase Cupich of Chicago; and Robert McElroy of Washington.

“In a very real sense, Cardinal Prevost has been in his life at his core a real missionary, in every way,” Cardinal McElroy said.

Joining them were retired archbishops Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston in Texas, and Wilton Gregory of Washington, as well as French Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The official document attesting the acceptance by Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, of his election (Vatican Media via AP)

Several of the men referred to the man they have known for years as Bob or Robert by his papal name, Leo.

Others said that his American nationality was not a factor – he also holds Peruvian citizenship.

Cardinals were most concerned with “who among us can bring us together, who among us can strengthen the faith and bring the faith to places where it has grown weak”, said Cardinal Gregory.