White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney today as cardinals elected American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new leader of the Catholic Church. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
Prevost, born in Chicago, becomes the first American pope despite longstanding Vatican concerns about electing a pontiff from a global superpower. His selection ends a conclave that began following Pope Francis’s death on April 21.
The name Leo XIV revives a papal title unused since Leo XIII, who served from 1878 to 1903.
Created cardinal by Francis in 2023, Prevost previously led the Augustinian order and served on the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, overseeing the selection of new bishops worldwide. His missionary experience in Peru, where he served as bishop of Chiclayo, likely helped overcome reservations about an American pope.
Cardinal Dominique Mamberti made the traditional “Habemus Papam” announcement from St. Peter’s Basilica balcony before introducing the new pontiff to thousands gathered in the square.
