4 hours ago
Last Updated:May 09, 2025, 00:13 IST
In 2023, then-Pope Francis brought Prevost to Rome to lead the Vatican office responsible for selecting bishops globally, one of the Church’s most influential positions.
Robert Prevost of the United States is named Pope Leo XIV.
For the first time in its 2,000-year history, the Catholic Church has chosen an American as its spiritual leader. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a native of Chicago, Illinois, has been elected the 267th pope. He will be known to the world as Pope Leo XIV.
White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 6:07 p.m. local time on Thursday, signalling that the conclave of 135 cardinals had reached a decision. Moments later, the newly elected pontiff stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the faithful. In his first address, a visibly emotional Pope Leo XIV spoke of peace. “Dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for the flock of God," he said. “I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts… to all the earth: peace be with you."
Prevost, 69, brings with him decades of missionary and pastoral experience, most of it spent in Latin America. After joining the Order of St. Augustine, he was sent to Peru in the 1980s, where he served in Trujillo for a decade. He later became bishop of Chiclayo in 2014, and was granted Peruvian citizenship the following year.
In 2023, then-Pope Francis brought Prevost to Rome to lead the Vatican office responsible for selecting bishops globally, one of the Church’s most influential positions. His proximity to the former pope and high-profile role helped elevate his visibility among the electors.
Pope Leo XIV now steps into a role with immense spiritual and political weight, tasked with shepherding the Church’s 1.4 billion followers across continents, ideologies and cultures. His election marks not only a historic moment for the American faithful but a new chapter for the global Church.
The White House and world leaders reacted swiftly, with former US President Donald Trump calling the election a “Great Honour" for the country and expressing hope to meet Pope Leo XIV soon.
Trump wrote, “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"
Location :Vatican City
First Published:News world Who Is Robert Prevost? Meet Leo XIV, The First American Pope
