Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected the new pope of the Catholic Church on Thursday afternoon.
Prevost will take the name Pope Leo XIV.
Prevost, 69, was born in Chicago and is the first American pope and the Church’s 267th pope. He will lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
He appeared visibly emotional as he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and addressed the crowd in St. Peter’s Square.
“Peace be with you all!” Pope Leo XIV began his address.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the resurrected Christ, the good shepherd who has given up his life for God,” he said, explaining his greeting, “and I should also like this greeting of peace to enter our hearts and your families and to all those people wherever they are. All peoples throughout the world, peace be with you.”
Prevost spent much of his priesthood in Peru. He became Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru for eight years until 2023, when he was made a cardinal by Pope Francis.
He also led the religious order started by St. Augustine.
Francis then made Prevost the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the Vatican official responsible for recommending priests to be made bishops around the world. Prevost was not considered the most likely cardinal to become pope, but Vatican officials are often considered for the papacy.
Prevost has been strong on Church doctrine, but he is seen as a centrist on political issues.
President Trump offered a congratulatory message on Thursday as the announcement was made.
“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!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The election of the new pope comes less than three weeks after Pope Francis passed away, the day after Easter, after he was hospitalized with pneumonia.
