History was made today as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a 69-year-old Chicago-born cleric, was elected the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
He is the first American in the Church’s two-millennia-long history to ascend to the papacy.
White smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel and the ringing of bells signaled the end of the conclave, sending waves of joy and anticipation through the crowds in St Peter’s Square.
Moments later, Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the Vatican balcony to the thunderous cheers of thousands of faithful gathered below.
“May peace be with all of you,” he began, speaking in confident Italian before briefly switching to Spanish to thank his former diocese in Peru, where he had served as a missionary and later as an archbishop.
“I would like this greeting of peace to reach all your hearts and families… and people around the world,” he said, his calm tone resonating with the sea of pilgrims, many of whom held candles or waved flags.
The crowd erupted into applause several times during his address, especially when he paid tribute to the late Pope Francis and called for global unity.
A passionate advocate of reform and dialogue, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the Church’s role as a beacon of hope in a divided world.
Concluding his address, the pope invited the crowd to join him in prayer.
As he began reciting the Ave Maria, the square grew still, then gradually filled with a collective hum, people praying and singing along, some in their native tongues.
With his head bowed and hands joined in reverence, Pope Leo XIV stood beneath the towering crucifix behind him, a powerful image symbolizing both continuity and new beginnings.
The new pope is expected to outline his vision and priorities during his inauguration Mass in the coming days.
But today, his first words as pontiff set the tone: a call for peace, prayer, and unity in a world that sorely needs it.
Habemus Papam: Pope Leo XIV has begun.
