The Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas (DDIA) monitored Spanish-language reactions among Latinos in the United States following the conclusion of the papal conclave and the announcement of Leo XIV as the new pope between Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET and May 9, 2025 1 p.m. ET.
The analysis used data from NewsWhip, which tracks engagement on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube, and from Palver, a tool that enables us to anonymously monitor more than 2,000 Spanish-language public channels on WhatsApp and Telegram based in the United States.
KEY TAKEAWAYS: U.S. Latinos Receive Pope Leo XIV with Open Arms and a Desire for Connection
Rates of Engagements:
Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S. engaged significantly with the announcement of the new Pope - he was very well received.
In the first 12 hours following the announcement, over 21,000 posts were published across Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
This represents an average of about 1,750 posts per hour or almost 30 per minute in the first 12 hours of the new pontificate. The content generated more than 12.8 million interactions on social media, according to Newswhip monitoring by DDIA.
While X registered the highest volume of Spanish-language posts in the U.S. between the platforms we monitor (~17,000 posts on X), followed by Facebook (~2,500) and Instagram (~640), YouTube generated the highest levels of engagement (7.3 million interactions, which include likes, comments and shares).
In the second 12 hours (between 1 a.m. ET and 1 p.m. ET, May 9), the volume of Spanish-language posts and engagements teetered off. Around 4,800 posts were published across Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
This represents a significantly lower average of about 405 posts per hour or about 6 per minute. The content published in the second 12 hours of the new pontificate generated about 914,000 interactions on social media, also according to Newswhip monitoring by DDIA.
X kept registering the highest volume of Spanish-language posts in the U.S. between the platforms we monitor (~4,200 posts on X), and YouTube still generated the highest levels of engagement (410,000 interactions).
Themes:
In the first 12 hours, Spanish-speaking Latinos mostly engaged with the Pope's figure in ways that connected their personal stories and identities to the Robert Prevost story. Reactions ranged from expressions of content around the Pope speaking fluent Spanish, to the sharing of videos and photos of his past visits to Latin American cities and towns, to fans of soccer clubs sharing satirical AI-generated images of the Pope wearing their soccer team’s jerseys.
In the second 12 hours, the conversation expanded to include reactions to 1) the Pope’s first mass, 2) comments by Prevost’s brother in which he criticized Donald Trump’s immigration policies, and mentioned a supposed prophecy a neighbor made, and 3) conspiracy theories about Leo XIV being the last pope before the apocalypse
U.S. Latino-driven reactions related to politics were not among the most viral in the first 24 hours.
In Spanish, unlike in English, there were very few comments from MAGA supporters related to the Pope. For context, in English, Newswhip searches related to the Pope’s pushback on JD Vance, for example, brought up around 586 web articles. In Spanish, the same search generated 3 web articles in the first 12 hours.
In this period, some Spanish-speaking right-wing Latino influencers in the U.S. raised fears that the new Pope would be a “new Communist.” Others defaulted to picking a stance of the Pope’s that matched their stance (for example on anti-trans or anti-LGBTQ issues).
Progressive-leaning Latino influencers in the U.S. engaged with politics in connection with the Pope at higher rates, and did emphasize the Pope’s stances on immigration. Many Latinos hope that Leo XIV, who lived in Peru as a cardinal, will understand migration and migrants.
PLATFORM BREAKDOWNS
On Facebook, the tone was predominantly celebratory and reverent. U.S. Spanish-speaking users emphasized the historic significance of Prevost’s election as the first American pope, while also highlighting his deep ties to Latin America and his fluency in Spanish.
The posts with the highest engagement came from legacy media outlets such as Univision, Telemundo, and CNN en Español, as well as Catholic platforms like ACI Prensa and EWTN Network. Digital influencer Carlos Eduardo Espina also garnered significant attention by underscoring Pope Leo XIV’s Latin American connections and his past criticism of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
X (Formerly Twitter)
On X, content centered around three main themes: factual updates about the new Pope, political commentary regarding his future leadership, and widespread use of memes.
Users – including prominent Latin American political leaders such as Javier Milei, Cristina Kirchner, and Gustavo Petro – sought to establish various forms of connection with Pope Leo XIV, most commonly emphasizing his perceived "latinidad" or Latin American identity. Posts connecting the Pontiff with soccer also gained traction in this sense.
Numerous posts offered analysis of the symbolic weight behind Prevost’s choice of the name Leo, his affiliation with the Augustinian order, and his academic background in canon law. These elements were widely interpreted as early signs of the tone and priorities of his pontificate, which might include a focus on social justice and education.
On X, U.S. Spanish-speakers also engaged (especially in the first hours after the Pope's announcement) with scrutiny over Prevost's past. U.S. users on this platform raised questions about the new Pope’s political affiliation, his perspectives regarding the LGBTQ+ community, and his involvement in a sexual scandal that took place in Peru.
While La Derecha Diario posted that Prevost was an affiliated Republican, CBS highlighted official data questioning this information. Based on public records, The New York Times reported that the pope has voted in three Republican primaries since 2012 and no Democratic primaries in that time. He most recently voted in a Republican primary in 2016. The records also show that he did not vote in Will County in the 2020 presidential election or in the 2022 midterm election, but he did vote in 2024 via absentee ballot.
Links to an interview cardinal Prevost gave in 2012 suggesting he was not a pro-LGBTQ+ person went viral and current analyses about that were also shared, with a critical tone. In a 2012 address to bishops reported on by The New York Times, Prevost lamented that Western news media and popular culture fostered “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel.” He cited the “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families consisting of same-sex partners and their adopted children.”
Criticisms that began with survivors of sexual assault around Prevost “not having done enough” to address a sexual scandal in Peru also came up. Peruvian fact-checkers are currently investigating the topic, but suggested a link that gives this story some nuance. Here it is.
TIKTOK and YOUTUBE (Video-based)
On TikTok and YouTube, at first, the publications (in video format) emphasized live transmissions of what was happening at the Vatican.
After Leo XIV's presentation, these platforms were filled with awe and inspiration. Several videos – mainly from traditional media – focused on Leo XIV’s first speech, highlighting how he repeated the word “peace” several times and honored Pope Francis.
Pope Leo XIV’s delivery of part of his initial speech in Spanish was seen as a positive sign of connection by Latinos (a sense that the new Pope understands Latinos / that he is “one of us.”). Some even generated videoclips of the Pope sending his blessings to Peru to emphasize that.
WHATSAPP AND TELEGRAM(Public channels only)
On WhatsApp and Telegram public channels, during the first 12 hours of the new Pontificate, at least 11,000 unique messages related to the Pope circulated across 692 public WhatsApp and Telegram groups, potentially reaching over 7 million Spanish-speaking users. In the second 12 hours, the volume of conversations went down, to only 146 unique messages reaching about 1 million people on 60 public groups.
The peak of conversations occurred around 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EST, confirming that these apps are heavily used during breaking news events. Latinos from at least 11 U.S. states engaged in the conversations, with New York being the one generating the most messages.
The key narratives included:
Live comments of what was going on at the Vatican, from the white smoke to Leo XIV's first mass (most of the messages)
Celebration of the First American Pope, with Peruvian pride
Attempts to connect with Leon XIV through his past visits (to Venezuela and Brazil, for example) and soccer (with memes of Prevost wearing different uniforms).
Ideological framing, with some messages applauding Leo XIV's support for social justice; others feared a continuation of the Catholic Church’s negligence toward sexual abuse cases.
A fringe minority circulated still unproven allegations that Prevost was not active in preventing sexual abuses in Peru and conspiracies aiming to connect the new Pope to known global control conspiracy theories.
Methodology:
Tools: NewsWhip, Palver, and ChatGPT
Keywords: papa OR prevost OR "robert prevost" OR "leon XIV" OR "leo XIV"
Date/Time: May 8, 2025 1 p.m. ET to May 9, 2025 1 p.m. EST
Language: Spanish
Location: United States