In a development that has stunned both the Catholic faithful and the online world, newly elected Pope Leo XIV is making headlines — not just for his sudden rise to the papacy, but for an unexpected detail in his background: the degree he holds.

Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Matteo Bellini of Bologna, was elected after just two days of conclave voting, taking many by surprise. But what truly set the internet ablaze was the revelation that the new pontiff holds a master’s degree in quantum physics — a field few expected to see on the résumé of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

As news of his academic background broke, social media platforms exploded. Hashtags like #QuantumPope, #PopeLeoXIV, and #SchrödingersPontiff began trending within hours.

“We’ve gone from Latin and theology to quantum entanglement and particle theory. The Vatican just became sci-fi,” one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote.

Pope Leo XIV earned his degree from the University of Padua before entering seminary. While he later studied philosophy and theology as part of his ecclesiastical training, his fascination with physics apparently never waned. According to those close to him, he regularly referenced the elegance of the cosmos and the “divine poetry” he saw in scientific laws.

“He once said that observing the uncertainty principle was, in a way, like contemplating the mystery of God,” said Father Antonio De Luca, a former classmate. “He always bridged the gap between faith and science.”

The new Pope’s unusual background has sparked spirited debate online — and not just memes and jokes. Many are praising the election as a sign that the Church is embracing intellectual openness and dialogue with modern science.

“This is a major step forward,” said Dr. Lucia Monti, a professor of religious studies at the University of Milan. “A pope who speaks the language of both the soul and the atom could heal centuries of division between faith and reason.”

Others, however, are more skeptical.

“A quantum physicist as Pope? Sounds like a PR move,” said a Reddit commenter. “Or the Vatican’s trying to launch its own Large Hadron Collider.”

Yet even among the skeptics, curiosity is winning. Several Catholic youth organizations report a surge in engagement since the announcement, with many young people expressing newfound interest in the Church.

“He’s like a mix between Einstein and St. Francis,” one 19-year-old student in Brazil posted on TikTok. “I didn’t think I’d ever care about the Pope, but now I’m following Vatican news.”

The Holy See has remained mostly quiet about the online uproar, though a Vatican spokesperson did confirm the Pope’s degree and said, “His Holiness believes in the compatibility of faith and scientific discovery. His message is one of unity, not division.”

In his first public address as Pope, Leo XIV didn’t shy away from his unique perspective.

“We live in a universe full of mysteries — some we approach through Scripture, others through science. But all truths come from the same Creator,” he said to a crowd of thousands in St. Peter’s Square.

He went on to urge the Church to embrace dialogue with the scientific community, calling on Catholic universities and institutions to deepen research into areas like artificial intelligence, space exploration, and climate science.

As he spoke, memes continued to flood the internet. One viral image showed the Pope in traditional white robes, holding a chalkboard filled with quantum equations. The caption read: “Forgive them, Father, for they know not the laws of thermodynamics.”

Whether his papacy will mark a turning point for the Church’s relationship with science remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Pope Leo XIV has already captured the imagination of a generation — and brought quantum mechanics into the conversation of faith.