The internet responds to Pope’s “unreal” attire

Over the weekend, people were taking notice—not because of a papal order, but because of a watch. Former Chicago native Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just anointed Pope Leo XIV, was observed wearing an Apple Watch during a recent Holy Mass, which caused many internet commentators to be both intrigued and amused.

The 69-year-old pope was formally sworn in on May 8 and has already garnered media attention for his calls for a truce, the release of captives, and more humanitarian aid in Gaza and Ukraine.

The recent ceasefire deal between India and Pakistan was also hailed by him. This time, however, technology was the talk of the town rather than geopolitics.

The pope, wearing traditional robes, is shown blessing the congregation with his right hand while wearing an Apple Watch on his left wrist in pictures taken during a recent Mass.

Social media took off with it, of course. On X, someone said, “I always find it funny when he wears an Apple Watch.”

Another said, “The image of the pontiff wearing an Apple Watch is really surreal.” Another person added, “The Apple Watch is hilarious.” The Pope has before had his wristwear go viral. Astute users saw glimpses of the device in a variety of settings following his election.

Even a close-up photo was uploaded to Instagram by the Apple-focused website 9to5Mac, which sparked conjecture in the comments section. The description said, “After being spotted wearing an Apple Watch during his first official mass, newly elected Pope Leo XIV is creating a stir in the tech and watch communities.” Which model this is remains unclear. Can you guess?

Apple news accounts swiftly reposted the tweet, confirming what many had suspected: the Pope is really an Apple Watch fan. One Reddit user even discovered an ancient picture of Leo XIV wearing the identical watch and blessing a parishioner before he became pope.

The post stated, “Pope Leo XIV wore an Apple Watch during his first Holy Mass, which he had previously worn before being elected a Cardinal.” Ancient ritual meets contemporary technology in this bizarre image. However, it might make sense.

Why shouldn’t the pope follow her own footsteps in a time when even your grandmother does? What is his daily step goal? That is the only question that remains.