Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Leo XIV and becoming the first US pontiff.
Pope Leo appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica approximately 70 minutes after white smoke emerged from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the 133 cardinal electors had chosen a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church.
“Peace be with you all,” the new pope addressed the cheering crowd.
The selection of Prevost was announced by French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti with the Latin words “Habemus Papam” (We have a pope) to tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square awaiting the news.
Aged 69 and originally from Chicago, Prevost spent the majority of his career as a missionary in Peru and was only elevated to cardinal in 2023. He has given few media interviews and rarely speaks publicly.
Leo becomes the 267th Catholic pope, succeeding Pope Francis, who passed away last month. Francis was the first Latin American pope and led the Church for 12 years, widely aiming to open the traditionally conservative institution to the modern world.
Francis implemented various reforms and permitted discussion on divisive issues such as the ordination of women and greater inclusion of LGBT Catholics.
Prior to the conclave, some cardinals advocated for continuity with Francis’ vision of increased openness and reform, while others expressed a desire to revert to older traditions.
Prevost has garnered interest among his peers due to his quiet demeanor and his support for Francis, particularly his commitment to social justice issues.
Prevost served as a bishop in Chiclayo, in northwestern Peru, from 2015 to 2023.
In that year, Francis brought him to Rome to head the Vatican office responsible for selecting priests to serve as Catholic bishops worldwide, giving him a significant role in the appointment of many of the world’s bishops.
During a 2023 Vatican press conference, Prevost stated, “Our work is to enlarge the tent and to let everyone know they are welcome inside the Church.”
Pope Francis died on April 21 after leading the 1.4 billion-member Church for 12 years. During his papacy, he sought to open the long-standing institution to the modern world, enacting a range of reforms and allowing debate on contentious issues like women’s ordination and better inclusion of LGBT Catholics.
While no clear frontrunners had emerged to succeed him, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who served as the Vatican’s Secretary of State under Francis, and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle were considered leading candidates.
Other “papabili” – potential papal candidates in Italian – included Jean-Marc Aveline of France, Peter Erdo of Hungary, Robert Prevost of the United States, Pierbattista Pizzaballa of Italy, and Pablo Virgilio David of the Philippines.
