Robert Francis Prevost Elected as New Pope Leo XIV – First American Pope

Today, on the second day of the papal conclave in the Vatican, 69-year-old Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the new Pope. He is the first Cardinal from the United States to become Pope and has chosen the name Pope Leo XIV.

He was elected by two-thirds majority (89 votes) out of 133 Cardinals. This is the fifth time since 1900 that a new Pope has been elected within two days of voting.

On the second day of voting, white smoke rose from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signaling the successful selection of the new Pope. Over 45,000 people gathered at the Vatican cheered and congratulated one another upon the announcement.

The first round of voting began around 9:15 PM on Wednesday night, following a formal procession and oath of secrecy by each Cardinal in the Sistine Chapel. No Pope was selected on the first day of voting on May 7.

Pope's First Message: "Peace in Every Heart"

Following his election, Pope Leo XIV addressed the crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Spanish. He urged people to show mercy to one another and live with love.

“I want to thank all the Cardinals who have chosen me as the successor to Pope Francis,” he said. “I will try to work with all those men and women who act as fearless missionaries, spreading the message of Jesus and staying faithful to Him.”

Pope Francis appointed him as Bishop in Peru in 2014 and later elevated him to Cardinal in 2023. Pope Leo is considered a close ally of Pope Francis and shares a similar vision and ideology. He supported Pope Francis’s decision to allow divorced and remarried women to celebrate religious festivals.

Pope Leo XIV was born on September 14, 1955, in Illinois, USA.