“About last night."
Correction: An earlier version of this report accidentally identified the new Pontiff as Pope Leo XVI, instead of Pope Leo XIV. We regret this error.
Cardinal Robert Prevost has been chosen as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church.
The 69-year-old graduate of Villanova University is the first pope in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history to be born in the United States. He was born in Chicago and is now a citizen of Peru.
When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo XIV said, "Peace be with all of you!"
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The historic moment comes less than three weeks after Pope Francis’s sudden death on April 21. Francis was the first Latin American pontiff in Catholic history when he was introduced in 2013.
He spent 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church and was 88 years old at the time of his death.
His death marked the beginning of “sede vacante” in the College of Cardinals, which is highlighted by the conclave — a secluded meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals tasked with selecting the next pope.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 can cast a vote and the meeting must begin no earlier than the 16th day and no later than the 21st day after the pope’s death.
According to CNN, a pope must receive two-thirds of the vote to be named the next pope.
The conclave, which included 135 eligible cardinals, began on May 7. It took the cardinals just two days of voting to confirm Prevost as the next pope.
Prevost was one of the frontrunners given his experience in the Catholic Church, and being personally appointed by the late Pope Francis.
In 2023, he was appointed by Pope Francis to serve as head of the office that vets bishop nominations from across the globe — one of the most important jobs in the church, per the Associated Press.
Leaders from around the world congratulate Pope Leo XIV
According to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, per the AP, Pope Leo XIV will celebrate morning Mass on May 9.
He will then deliver his first Sunday noon blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, per Bruni, and will hold an audience with media members in the Vatican auditorium on May 12.
In typical fashion, leaders from around the world congratulated the new pope on his election.
"It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
"What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country," he continued. "I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"
Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago since 2023, is looking forward to welcoming Pope Leo XIV back home in the near future.
"Everything dope, including the Pope, comes from Chicago!” Johnson wrote in an X post. “Congratulations to the first American Pope Leo XIV! We hope to welcome you back home soon.”
Italy’s leader, President Giorgia Meloni, offered her “most sincere wishes” to the new pope.
"In a time marked by conflict and unrest, his words from the Loggia delle Benedizioni are a powerful call for peace, brotherhood and responsibility,” she said, per Fox News.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the election as a “historic moment.”
"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!"… pic.twitter.com/q6kNcSOqAT
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 8, 2025
Pope Leo XIV also received a warm congratulations from Peru’s President Dina Boluarte.
"He served our people with love and faith. In his first message as pontiff, he recalled with emotion his time in Chiclayo and his closeness to Peru," her statement highlighted. "May God bless him in his mission!"
Pope Leo XIV spent more than a decade in Peru after being appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru by Pope Francis, per CBS News.
He became a bishop the following year and a cardinal in 2023.
In his opening remarks on May 8, Pope Leo XIV described himself as a “son of Saint Augustine.”
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He becomes the seventh Augustinian pope and is dedicated to living “together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God,” per the AP.
