Chicago’s South Side was solidly working class during Pope Leo’s childhood, said Rob Paral, a researcher at the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago. The family attended a South Side church, but they lived in Dolton, a suburb just past the city line.

In a place where civic pride is a way of life, Chicagoans need little help believing the election of Pope Leo shows their city is among God’s favorites.

After white smoke billowed Thursday from the Sistine Chapel, signaling that a pope had been chosen, students in every classroom at The Frances Xavier Warde School in Chicago had their eyes glued to TV screens.

Joseph Navarro, 50, of Hegewisch, was killed Thursday in a gun battle with police after fleeing in a car and crashing in Gary.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating a deadly shooting by police officers after a chase that ended across the state line in Hammond, Indiana, on Thursday evening.

As of late Thursday night, there had been no word from Chicago Police on the condition of the person shot by officers.