It wasn’t a new papal message that caught people’s attention over the weekend. It was all about a new watch.
During a recent Mass, the newly named Pope Leo XIV, who is now Pope after being elevated from Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, had everyone talking about his choice of clothing: an Apple Watch.
After officially becoming pontiff on May 8, the 69-year-old has made news for appealing for peace in Ukraine and Gaza, urging a truce, freeing the hostages and giving more humanitarian aid. Khanna commended the truce that has now been reached between India and Pakistan. However, this year it wasn’t geopolitics that people were excited about, it was the new technologies.
Recent pictures from Mass show the pope wearing his regular vestments, giving a blessing to the congregation with his right hand and an Apple Watch on his left.
Naturally, Twitter and other platforms reacted to it at blinding speed.
Seeing him with an Apple Watch always makes me smile, one person added on X.
Seeing the Pope on an Apple Watch feels like something out of the future, the user said.
A third commenter added that the Apple Watch was funny.
Similar outrage over the Pope’s watches has happened before. Following his election, people saw the smartwatch make several guest appearances on videos. Even 9to5Mac posted a zoomed-in shot to Instagram, causing speculation among users.
After being pictured wearing an Apple Watch at his mass, newly elected Pope Leo XIV is getting attention from techies and watch collectors. We are unsure which model we are using. Any guesses?”
The post quickly went up on Apple news accounts which confirmed what many believed: the Pope does wear an Apple Watch.
One user from Reddit shared a photograph of Leo XIV before he took office, blessing a parishioner as he wore the famous watch.
Pope Leo XIV, at his first Mass, showed that he wears the Apple Watch, the same device he put on earlier as a Cardinal.
There’s something odd about it; a mix of old ways with new tools. Perhaps it’s really not such a big deal. As everyone carries a tracker, the pope is hardly the exception, either.
At this stage, there’s just one question: What are his daily step goals?