ABC to Present “20/20” Special Tonight on the Election of Leo XIV, The First American Pope

“The American Pope: Leo XIV – A Special Edition of 20/20” airs tonight, May 9th on ABC.
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Tonight, ABC News will present a primetime special regarding the historic election of the first American pope, Leo XIV.

What’s Happening:

  • World News Tonight anchor David Muir leads the special from Rome, joined by ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis, senior national correspondent Terry Moran and chief international correspondent James Longman.
  • The episode will also feature a report from Philadelphia by 20/20 co-anchor Deborah Roberts, with correspondent Matt Rivers in Peru introducing viewers to Robert Francis Prevost.
  • From the first signs of white smoke and the elation when Pope Leo XIV first appeared on the Vatican balcony, the special traces his journey to the papacy from his childhood in Chicago, missionary work in Peru, his recent appointment to cardinal by Pope Francis and now his ultimate election to supreme pontiff.
  • The program also includes personal reflections from those who know him best, including his brothers who reveal how Pope Leo was called to the priesthood from a very young age, and additional reactions from around the world, including from Chicago and Philadelphia, where he attended Villanova University.
  • Muir will lead a roundtable with contributors Father James Martin and Father John Wauck, as the newly elected pope begins shaping his legacy at a defining moment for the Catholic Church.
  • The one-hour special, The American Pope: Leo XIV – A Special Edition of 20/20, airs Friday, May 9th (9:01-10:01 p.m. EDT) on ABC and streams the next day on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
  • This special will replace this week’s previously announced edition of 20/20, “Blood on the Door."

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