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A rumor that Pope Leo XIV started following rapper Nicki Minaj on X recently began circulating on social media. This came after Pope Leo XIV, whose real name is Robert Francis Prevost, was voted as the next pontiff after the papal conclave on May 8, 2025. Born and raised in Chicago, Prevost became the first Pope from the USA in the Catholic Church's 2000-year history.
Following his election, X account @DropPopNet claimed that the newly elected Pope started following Nicki Minaj on X. The post included a screenshot that showed Minaj's name in the Pope's alleged X following list, with the caption reading:
"Pope Robert Francis Prevost has followed Nicki Minaj on X/Twitter."
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However, a quick search through the Pope's actual follow list on X debunks this claim. Nicki Minaj's account does not appear on Pope Leo XIV's following list on the social media platform.
Moreover, the account that started the rumor is a known parody pop culture account, as stated in its bio.
An overview of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV, the late Pope Francis' successor, was elected after a two-day papal conclave between May 7 and 8, 2025. While the New Pope is American by birth, he is listed as the "second Roman Pontiff from the Americas" due to his Peruvian nationality after having served as a missionary in Peru for years. His predecessor (an Argentinian native) was the first pontiff from the Americas.
The newly elected pope, whose real name is Robert Francis Prevost, was born in Chicago in 1955. Prevost was ordained in 1982. In 1985, he went to Peru as a missionary, and in 2015, his predecessor appointed him as the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru. In January 2023, Prevost became an archbishop, and in September 2024, the late Pope Francis made him a cardinal.
According to the BBC, Pope Leo XIV seemingly shared Francis' progressive ideologies on immigrants. In an interview with Italian network Rai ahead of the conclave, Prevost (who has Spanish and Franco-Italian ancestry), said:
"I was born in the United States... But my grandparents were all immigrants, French, Spanish... I was raised in a very Catholic family, both of my parents were very engaged in the parish."
He also previously spoke about climate change and had seconded Pope Francis' decision to allow women to the Dicastery for Bishops. In a 2024 interview with Catholic News Service, he said that women's presence "contributes significantly to the process of discernment in looking for who we hope are the best candidates to serve the Church in episcopal ministry."
After he was elected the new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, aged 69, addressed the crowd in Italian and Spanish from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. His first words as the newly elected leader of the Catholic Church were "Peace be with you."
Robert Francis Prevost is the fourteenth pontiff with the moniker Leo. The last Pope to be named Leo held the papacy between 1878 to 1903.
