‘His views better have changed since 2012’: How a viral meme account beat the Vatican to the Pope Leo XIV news

White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney Thursday at 6:07 p.m. local time, signaling the end of the conclave and the election of a new pope to lead the Catholic Church. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States is now the 267th pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.

Just a minute later, the folks behind Pope Crave broke their silence: “We don’t claim him,” they posted to their 93,000 followers, beating even the Vatican News portal to the update. “His views better have changed since 2012 to be more in line with Papa Francis or else . . . apostasy!” they added.

If you’re late to the party, Pope Crave is a parody account modeled after celebrity news sources like Pop Crave and Pop Base that’s been posting updates on the papal vacancy with a mix of on-the-ground reporting and “diva sightings.”

“We don’t have official press credentials, but we are very determined people,” admins of the account told Time in a recent interview.

The account began as an X fan page devoted to Conclave, the 2024 film starring Ralph Fiennes and its heavily memed awards season run. Pope Crave is run by Susan Bin, an artist from Dallas, and Noelia Caballero, a lawyer based in Ontario, Canada.

Since launching, the account has grown into a broader community, spawning a dedicated Discord server and a charity zine that has raised more than $50,000 for the Intersex Human Rights Fund, the Freedom Fund, and Librarians and Archivists with Palestine—charities Bin and Caballero say reflect “the views of the film.”

When news of Pope Francis’s death broke in late April, Pope Crave quickly shifted focus, offering real-time updates and explaining the conclave process through memes. (The account even managed to fact-check Politico.)

The last conclave happened in 2013—before TikTok existed. This time, with social media fully embedded in everyday life, the papal succession became a fandom event and a platform to support the most progressive candidates.

Pope Crave officially endorsed Cardinal Tagle, who gained a viral following on TikTok for his resurfaced rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and his pro-LGBTQ+ stance. Another fan favorite was Cardinal Zuppi, dubbed “the pope of the people.”

Now, with the conclave concluded and Pope Leo XIV installed, the question remains: What’s next for a papal meme account?

“Pope crave im scared is it over,” one X user asked. The official reply: “No my friend the time to meme is now when times are dark.”