In a historic moment for the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected pope—making him the first American ever to hold the position.
Now known as Pope Leo XIV, he was chosen by the papal conclave just two days into its secretive deliberations within the Sistine Chapel. The announcement came earlier today, Thursday, May 8, as white smoke rose from the chimney, signaling the successful election of the new pontiff.
Shortly after, Vatican officials stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to reveal that Cardinal Prevost had accepted the role as the 267th pope in the Church’s history.
Here’s what we know so far about the new leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics…
Pope Leo XIV attending the late Pope Francis’ funeral (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
At 69, Prevost is relatively young for a pope. Born near Dolton, Illinois, in the Chicago area, he is the first American in history to assume the papacy—a milestone that former President Donald Trump praised as “such an honor.”
Though American by birth, Prevost spent much of his early ministry in Peru after his ordination in 1982, according to Newsweek. He earned a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome and later became a naturalized Peruvian citizen. In Peru, he held various clerical roles including parish priest, diocesan official, seminary teacher, and administrator.
Fluent in both Spanish and Italian, he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo in 2015 and served until 2023, before being elevated to cardinal. A trusted ally of Pope Francis, Prevost was named apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Callao in 2020 and, in 2023, was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the Vatican office overseeing episcopal appointments worldwide.
These roles positioned him as a strong candidate in the papal conclave that convened this week.
While Pope Francis was known for his progressive vision, Pope Leo is seen as more centrist. Rev. Michele Falcone, a priest of the Order of St. Augustine, described him to The New York Times as representing “the dignified middle of the road.”
Pope Leo XIV appeared for the first time on the Vatican balcony today (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
That said, Leo comes as the fifth-most-popular name chosen by popes, reports ABC News, with Pope Leo XIII – who headed the Catholic Church from 1878 until his death in 1903 – being a founding figure of the Catholic social justice tradition.
In his first speech to the masses from the balcony, the new pontiff told the cheering crowd at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City: “Peace be with you.”
International development charity Cafod said Pope Leo presents ‘a voice of wisdom in a fractured and divided world,’ particularly noting his work as a missionary in Peru to bring the ‘vital perspective of the global south’ into his papacy, ‘elevating voices from the margins to centre stage’.
Pope Leo has also highlighted his service to the church and to the vulnerable, saying last year to Vatican News: “The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them, to suffer with them.”
