Robert Prevost elected as pope
White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel around 6 p.m. local time in Rome on Thursday, signaling to Vatican City and the rest of the world that the conclave had elected its next pope.
By Opio Jackson
The Conclave has elected Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Bishop of Rome
Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American-born originally from Chicago, has been elected as the next leader of the 1.4 billion Catholics.
He is the first pope from the United States and will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel around 6 p.m. local time in Rome on Thursday, signaling to Vatican City and the rest of the world that the conclave had elected its next pope.
A selection happened on the second day of the conclave, after the first ballot on Wednesday was inconclusive. This means at least two-thirds of the cardinals — 89 votes — have mutually decided on one person.
Though the conclave began just the day before, it wasn’t the fastest one in history. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
He is the 267th pope to be elected and has stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
In his first words as pope, a visibly emotional Leo said to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square: “Peace be with you all.”
Addressing the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, Leo paid tribute to the late pontiff Francis, urging the crowd to remember his predecessor’s legacy before outlining his vision for the Catholic Church.
“We have to seek together to be a missionary church. A church that builds bridges and dialogue,” he said, calling on people to “show our charity to others “and be in dialogue with love.”
