Robert Prevost becomes first American pope: Pope Leo XIV

The new pope is Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV - the first American pontiff to be elected leader of the Catholic Church.

Prevost, 69, was greeted with huge cheers from thousands gathered in St Peter's Square.

"May peace be with all of you," he said from the Vatican balcony.

Chicago-born Prevost is seen as a reformer and worked for many years as a missionary in Peru before being made an archbishop there.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church after a conclave that began on 7 May. Following his election, he adopted the name Pope Leo XIV.

Worldwide celebrations erupted among Catholic faithful after white smoke billowed from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel.

However, the identity of the new pontiff wasn't immediately revealed as people had to wait for an hour before the new Pope greeted them from St Peter's Basilica's main balcony.

The Papacy Of Pope Leo XIV begins

With his election, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost becomes the first American pope.

Born in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV's rise comes despite the Vatican's traditional reluctance toward a US-born pope, given America's secular global power.

A moderate figure, he was appointed cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and held a senior role in the influential Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the global selection of bishops. He also brings deep missionary experience, having served as a bishop in Chiclayo, Peru.

These credentials may help bridge concerns within the Church, offering hope for unity as a new era of leadership begins under Pope Leo XIV.

The process to elect a new pope for the Catholic Church began on Wednesday, 7 May, 11 days after Pope Francis was buried on April 26.

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