Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost from the United States has been elected as the new spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV. Robert Francis is the first cardinal from the U.S. ever to be elected pope.
He was chosen yesterday, Thursday, during the second day of voting at the Vatican. A total of 133 cardinals from 70 countries participated in the election process.
Following his election, Pope Robert Francis delivered his first address to thousands of gathered followers at St. Peter’s Square. The emotional new pope said, “Peace be with you all.” He paid tribute to his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, and stated, “We must build together a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges.” In a speech delivered in Italian, the new pope also urged his followers to show compassion and generosity toward others.
The formal process to elect the 267th pope began with prayers at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Wednesday. That afternoon, the first round of voting took place, but black smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney signaled that no pope had yet been chosen. On Thursday morning, two more rounds of voting also failed to produce a result, as black smoke appeared again. Later in the day, after another round of voting, white smoke billowed from the chimney—signaling that a new pope had finally been elected.
