Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025.
Guglielmo Mangiapane | Reuters
Roman Catholic cardinals selected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope on Thursday, the first time an American has been selected as pontiff.
Prevost, 69, chose the papal name Leo XIV.
A Chicago native who spent much of his ministry in Peru, Prevost was chosen on the second day of the cardinals’ conclave.
His election was announced by Cardinal Dominique Mamberti more than an hour after cardinals signaled his election with plumes of white smoke billowing from a chimney at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
Pope Leo appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he addressed a large crowd gathered in the huge square below in both Italian and Spanish.
The prior pontiff, Pope Francis, died April 22 at age 88.
In recent Vatican conclaves, the new pope’s name was announced between 25 minutes and 66 minutes after white smoke was seen above the Sistine Chapel. White smoke was seen at about 12:07 p.m. ET.
Pope Leo is the 267th Roman Catholic pontiff, the spiritual leader of more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide. Popes are considered successors to St. Peter, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ.
People react after Cardinal Dominique Mamberti announced the election of Cardinal Robert F. Prevost as the 267th pope, choosing the name of Pope Leo XIV, at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Luca Bruno | AP
Before his election, Leo headed the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops, which advises the pope on appointments of bishops, who lead the world’s Catholic dioceses.
Leo was made a cardinal in 2023.
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