Robert Francis Prevost elected as Pope Leo XIV
Thursday, May 8, 2025

At 18:07 CEST (16:07 UTC) on 8 May 2025, white smoke came out from the Sistine Chapel's smokestack at Vatican City, signaling a new pope was selected. Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti announced Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Pope. He has taken the name of Pope Leo XIV. Prevost's name previously appeared as one of the papabili, the "front-runners" of the Pope. His openness and support to the late Pope Francis, especially for his commitment to social justice issues sparked some interest from his peers.
Pope Leo XIV became the second Pope from Americas, and the first Pope from North America, specifically. He is also the first Pope from Peru and the first pope to hold dual citizenship. He was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. He has served as the Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru from 2015 to 2023. Since 2023, he has been taking place as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops at the Vatican, which means that he has been in charge in selecting priests and vetting nominations of bishops around the world. He has been appointed as cardinal since 2024 by the late Pope Francis. On February 6, 2025, the late Pope Francis promoted him to the Order of Bishops, which granted him the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano.
Sources
[edit]- Paul Kirby. "Who is Robert Prevost, the new Pope Leo XIV?" — BBC, May 9, 2025
- "Leo XIV is the new Pope" — Vatican News, May 8, 2025
- Joshua McElwee, Crispian Balmer and Philip Pullella. "Cardinal Prevost elected Pope Leo XIV, first US pontiff" — Reuters, May 9, 2025
- Meredith Deliso and Megan Forrester. "What we know about Leo XIV, the new American pope" — ABC News, May 9, 2025
- "Which cardinals are seen as contenders to be the next pope?" — AP News, April 22, 2025