In a historic milestone for the Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope, becoming the first American to ascend to the papacy.
The announcement came on the second day of the papal conclave, with the traditional white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel, signaling to the world that a new pontiff had been chosen.
At 69, the Chicago-born cardinal will be known as Pope Leo XIV. His election marks a new chapter in the Church’s leadership.
The secretive conclave brought together 133 cardinals in Vatican City, who cast their votes in closed-door sessions.
The official proclamation came from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where the senior cardinal deacon delivered the iconic words in Latin: “Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum: habemus papam” – “I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope.”
Pope Leo XIV made his first public appearance with a message of unity and comfort. “Peace be with you all,” he greeted the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Explaining the significance of his words, he said, “This is the first greetings of the resurrected Christ, the good shepherd who has given up his life for God. And I should also like this greeting of peace to enter our hearts and our families.”
Prevost brings decades of international experience to his new role. He spent much of his ministry in South America, including over ten years in Peru, first in Trujillo and later as bishop of Chiclayo from 2014 to 2023.
More recently, he served at the Vatican as the head of the Dicastery for Bishops, where he played a pivotal role in shaping Church leadership and policy.
His commitment to mission work has been a defining aspect of his vocation. In a past interview after his appointment to the Dicastery for Bishops, he reflected, “My vocation, like that of every Christian, is to be a missionary, to proclaim the Gospel wherever one is.”
Pope Leo XIV assumes the papacy just two weeks after the death of Pope Francis, and is expected to both continue and build upon the reformist path laid by his predecessor while bringing his own global perspective to the office.
