A new pope has just been elected.The new pope is Cardinal Robert Prevost of the US, the first American pontiff in history. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
In his first words as pope, Leo XIV said to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square: “Peace be with you all.”
“This is the first greetings of the resurrected Christ, the good shepherd who has given up his life for God,” he said, explaining the choice of his greeting. “And I should also like this greeting of peace to enter our hearts and our families.”
Leo XIV looked visibly emotional as he waved to the adoring crowd in the square below the balcony.
The newly-elected pontiff urged people to “build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace.”
He also payed homage to his predecessor, the late Pope Francis.
Leo XIV addressed the crowed first in Italian before switching to Spanish, recalling the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru where he eventually became archbishop of Chiclayo.
Prevost, 69, an American who has spent much of his career as a missionary in Peru, is a relative unknown on the global stage.
Originally from Chicago, he has attracted interest from his peers because of his quiet style and support for Francis’ 12-year papacy, especially his commitment to social justice.
According to the Italian news agency Ansa, the new pope was elected in the fourth round of voting.
The conclave of 133 cardinals to elect the successor to the late Pope Francis began early Wednesday evening.
There was one unsuccessful ballot on Wednesday. Three more ballots were held on Thursday. A two-thirds majority is required.
For most of the past century, the conclave took between three and 14 ballots to elect a pope.
John Paul I, the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978, was elected on the fourth ballot. His successor, John Paul II, took eight. Francis was elected on the fifth ballot in 2013.
White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St. Peter’s rang out on Thursday, signalling that cardinals have elected a new pope to succeed Pope Francis and take charge of the Roman Catholic Church.
The election came on the first full day of voting by the 133 cardinal electors, who secluded themselves behind the Vatican’s medieval walls on Wednesday afternoon.
The identity of the pope and the name he has chosen as pontiff will be announced to the world shortly from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
It will be the French cardinal protodeacon Dominique Mamberti who will announce the new pope to the world, with the historic phrase: “Habemus Papam!”.
The new pope will then step forward to deliver his first public address and blessing to the gathered crowds.
The first sign of the new pope’s priorities will be in the name he chooses.
For example, a Francis II might signal a new pope’s embrace of Francis’ legacy of prioritizing the poor and marginalized, while a Pius would suggest a traditionalist restoration.
His formal coronation will take place days after his election. The last two popes have been inaugurated in St. Peter’s Square.
Trump reacts
United States President Donald Trump took the stage at a White House event today shortly after white smoke out started streaming out of the Vatican chimney.
“I saw the smoke, but I haven’t seen the pope,” Trump told reporters in the White House East Room.
Trump drew criticism after the White House account tweeted an AI-generated image of him dressed as a pope ahead of the papal conclave this week.
With black smoke appearing around noon on Thursday, the wait for the new pontiff continued at least until this evening.
After a midday lunch break, the cardinals were to hold two more rounds of vote but the first vote resulted in a yes.
The most geographically diverse College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history has followed centuries-old rituals inside the Sistine Chapel to decide who will lead the 1.4 billion faithful.
In the past century, it has taken between three and eight ballots to choose a pontiff.
When Jorge Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis, was elected in March 2013, his identity was revealed about 45 minutes after the white smoke when he appeared on the balcony above St Peter’s Square.
Once the new pope appears on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, we will hear a simple message:
Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!
Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum dominum, dominum [baptismal name], Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem [surname], qui sibi nomen imposuit [papal name].
… which translates to:
I announce to you a great joy: We have a Pope!
The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Father, Lord [baptismal name], Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church [surname], who takes to himself the name [papal name].
Three popes in a row have now been elected on the second day of conclave
The white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel means that each of the last three popes were elected in the afternoon of the second day of the conclave.
Pope Benedict XVI was elected after four rounds of voting; Francis was elected after five.
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