VATICAN CITY — The Roman Catholic Church has elected a new leader: American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who on Thursday was declared the 267th pope. Taking the papal name Leo XIV, he becomes the first American in history to ascend to the papacy.
The announcement came after white smoke rose from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel at 5:42 p.m. local time, signalling that the conclave of 133 cardinal electors had reached the required two-thirds majority to elect a new pontiff following the death of Pope Francis on 21 April.
A senior cardinal deacon formally declared “Habemus Papam” from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Moments later, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV appeared, donning the traditional white cassock, to deliver his first public address and impart the Urbi et Orbi blessing.
“Let us be a Church that opens its arms like this very piazza – welcoming, listening, building bridges,” Pope Leo said in Italian, evoking the inclusive tone championed by his predecessor. He mentioned Pope Francis twice, committing to continue his legacy of pastoral reform and global engagement.
At 69, Pope Leo XIV was among the younger candidates eligible for the papacy and had quietly emerged as a frontrunner in the days leading up to the conclave. Though American, he is deeply rooted in Latin American ministry and was elevated by Pope Francis through key roles in the Vatican and abroad.
Born in Chicago in 1955, Robert Prevost was ordained in 1982 after theological studies in Rome, where he earned a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. A member of the Order of St. Augustine, spent over two decades in Peru, serving as a missionary, educator, and diocesan leader.
In 2014, Francis appointed him Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. He was later named apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Callao in 2020.
In 2023, he became Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, one of the most influential positions in the Roman Curia, overseeing global bishop appointments. He also serves as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Pope Leo has been known for his reserved demeanour, pastoral sensitivity, and emphasis on synodality—a process of consultation and discernment across all levels of Church life. In a 2024 interview, he described bishops not as “little princes,” but as humble servants who walk with their people.
Vatican sources say his election reflects a consensus among the cardinals for continuity with Francis’ reforms, while signalling a broadening of the Church’s global identity beyond its traditional European roots.
Pope Leo XIV now assumes full spiritual and administrative authority over the 1.3 billion-member Catholic Church, a responsibility that begins immediately upon his acceptance inside the Sistine Chapel.
The papal inauguration, a formal liturgical ceremony of installation, is expected to take place in St. Peter’s Square in the coming days, it was gathered.
