Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has been elected as the new pope for the Catholic Church.
The announcement was made shortly after 5:00 p.m. (UK time) on Thursday, May 8, when white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel.
The newly elected pope, now known as Pope Leo XIV, is 69 years old and originally from Chicago, Illinois.
He is the first American to hold the papacy in the Church’s 2,000-year history.
The election followed Pope Francis’s death on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. On May 7, a conclave of 133 cardinals convened at the Vatican to begin the secretive process of selecting a new pope. All communication devices were surrendered, and the Sistine Chapel was secured against surveillance.
On the second day, after two rounds of voting, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and declared, “Habemus Papam,” Latin for “We have a pope.”
Pope Leo XIV greeted the cheering crowd with a message of peace: “May peace be with all of you.” He later spoke on the need for the Church to become more open and engaged: “Together, we must try to be a missionary church… open to receive everyone who needs our charity, our presence, dialogue, and love.”
Before his election, Robert Prevost was Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and a prominent member of the Order of St. Augustine, a religious order focused on community, spiritual reflection, and service. He served as Prior General of the order from 2001 to 2013 and was later appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru.
Leo holds dual citizenship in the United States and Peru and is fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian. In his first speech as pope, he switched to Spanish to acknowledge his years of service in Latin America: “I would particularly like to say hello to my compatriots from Peru. It was a great pleasure for me to work in Peru.”
Pope Leo XIV has a connection to Nigeria, having visited Abuja in September 2016 as head of the Augustinian Order. He participated in the General Chapter of the Order of St. Augustine, marking the first time the gathering was held on the African continent.
A photo from the event, posted on his official X account, shows him standing among Nigerian and foreign clergy. The caption, translated from Spanish, read: “For the first time, General Chapter of the Order of St. Augustine on the African continent – Abuja, Nigeria.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulated Pope Leo XIV, describing his election as a moment of joy for Catholics in Nigeria and worldwide.
In a statement, Tinubu said: “His message of faith and hope resonates across the globe. We look forward to deeper collaboration with the Holy See.”
Donald Trump (USA) called it a “great honor” for the U.S., expressing excitement and eagerness to meet the pope. Colombia’s President Petro hoped the pope would advocate for migrant rights, while Israel welcomed prospects for deeper Vatican-Jewish relations. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, spoke on shared Christian values, stating, “The Christian values that unite us will guide our continued dialogue.”
Germany, Spain, Poland, and EU leaders hoped for a papacy marked by peace, human rights, and unity.
Pope Leo XIV began his leadership during internal transformation and external conflict. His approach to same-sex unions is notably more moderate than his predecessor’s.
In October 2024, he encouraged regional bishops to apply Church teachings within their local cultural contexts: “There are still places in Africa that apply the death penalty for people in homosexual relationships… we’re in very different worlds.”
