The Conclave on Thursday elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope of the Catholic Church, making him the 267th occupant of the throne of St. Peter.
The new pope was announced to the waiting crowds by Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti.
69-year-old Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the new pope and will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
He is the first American to fill the role of pope, although he is considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru.
Before becoming the new leader of the Catholic Church, Leo told Italian network Rai that he grew up in a family of immigrants.
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“I was born in the United States… But my grandparents were all immigrants, French, Spanish… I was raised in a very Catholic family, both of my parents were very engaged in the parish,” he said.
Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Leo served as an altar boy and was ordained in 1982.
Although he moved to Peru three years later, he returned regularly to the US to serve as a pastor and a prior in his home city.
He has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build bridges.
He spent 10 years as a local parish pastor and as a teacher at a seminary in Trujillo in north-western Peru.
In 2014, Prevost was made the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru by Pope Francis.
He is well known to cardinals because of his high-profile role as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Latin America which has the important task of selecting and supervising bishops.
He became archbishop in January 2023 and within a few months, Francis made him a cardinal.
What Was The First Word of Pope Leo XIV?
The first words of Pope Leo XIV? to the cheering crowd was “Peace be with all of you!”
The 69-year-old from Chicago stepped into his role as the 267th pope on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening, addressing thousands of cheering Catholics with the words: “Peace be with you all.”
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In his first words as Pope, Leo spoke fondly of his predecessor Francis.
“We still hear in our ears the weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis who blessed us,” he said.
“United and hand-in-hand with God, let us advance together,” he told cheering crowds.
Leo XIV is the new Pope
