First American pope chooses the name Leo XIV

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📍 VATICAN CITY

Robert Francis Prevost was on Thursday elected the first pope from the United States, the Vatican announced.

A moderate who was close to Pope Francis and spent years as a missionary in Peru, he becomes the Catholic Church's 267th pontiff, taking the papal name Leo XIV.

Earlier, thousands of pilgrims and curious onlookers in St Peter's Square cheered, applauded and wept as white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signalling that cardinals locked inside had elected a new leader for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

The smoke appeared on the second day of voting at the Vatican.

The bells of St Peter's Basilica and churches across Rome rang out, indicating the 2,000-year-old Church has its 267th pope.

All eyes the turned to the balcony of St Peter's to see who had been elected to succeed Pope Francis, an Argentine reformer who died last month after 12 years as leader of the worldwide Church.

The new pontiff was introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name (Leo XIV) and addressed the world for the first time.

"It's an amazing feeling," said an elated Joseph Brian, a 39-year-old chef from Belfast, who came with his mother to Rome for the spectacle.

"I'm not an overly religious person but, being here with all these people just blew me away," he told AFP as people around him jumped up and down in excitement.

There were euphoric scenes as one priest sat on someone's shoulders waving a Brazilian flag and another lifted a heavy crucifix into the air in jubilation.

Soft-spoken Prevost is first American pope

Robert Francis Prevost, the first pope from the United States, has a history of missionary work in Peru but also a keen grasp of the inner workings of the Church.

The new Leo XIV, a Chicago native, was entrusted by his predecessor Francis to head the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, charged with advising the pontiff on new bishop appointments.

The sign of confidence from Francis speaks to Prevost's commitment as a missionary in Peru to the "peripheries" -- overlooked areas far from Rome prioritised by Francis -- and his reputation as a bridge-builder and moderate within the Curia.

The 69-year-old Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo, Peru, was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023 after being named prefect of the dicastery, one of the Vatican's most important departments -- and a post that introduced him to all key players in the Church.

Vatican watchers had given Prevost the highest chances among the group of US cardinals of being pope, given his pastoral bent, global view and ability to navigate the central bureaucracy.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica called him "the least American of the Americans" for his soft-spoken touch.

His strong grounding in canon law has also been seen as reassuring to more conservative cardinals seeking a greater focus on theology.

'Can't turn back' 

Following Francis's death, Prevost said there was "still so much to do" in the work of the Church.

"We can't stop, we can't turn back. We have to see how the Holy Spirit wants the Church to be today and tomorrow, because today's world, in which the Church lives, is not the same as the world of ten or 20 years ago," he told Vatican News last month.

"The message is always the same: proclaim Jesus Christ, proclaim the Gospel, but the way to reach today's people, young people, the poor, politicians, is different," he said.

Born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Prevost attended a minor seminary of the Order of St Augustine in St Louis as a novice before graduating from Philadelphia's Villanova University, an Augustinian institution, with a degree in mathematics.

After receiving a masters degree in divinity from Chicago's Catholic Theological Union in 1982, and a doctorate decree in canon law in Rome, the polyglot joined the Augustinians in Peru in 1985 for the first of his decade-long missions in that country.

Returning to Chicago in 1999, he was made provincial prior of the Augustinians in the US Midwest and later the prior general of the order throughout the world.

But he returned to Peru in 2014 when Francis appointed him as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in the country's north.

Nearly a decade later, Prevost's appointment in 2023 as head of the dicastery came after Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet was accused of sexually assaulting a woman and resigned for age reasons.

The Vatican later dropped the case against Ouellet for insufficient evidence.

Prevost also serves as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

'Habemus Papam'

"It's a once in a lifetime experience" said Rita Canale, a 42-year-old Roman who came to the square with her 8-year-old daughter.

Bruna Hodara, 41, from Brazil, was recording the scene with her phone. "Habemus papam, woooo!" she howled, echoing the words to be spoken on the balcony as the new pope is introduced.

The new pope faces a momentous task: as well as asserting his moral voice on a conflict-torn global stage, he faces burning Church issues from the continued fall-out from the sexual abuse scandal to the Vatican's troubled balance sheets.

Some 133 "Princes of the Church" from five continents -- the largest conclave ever -- began voting on Wednesday afternoon.

Sworn to secrecy, on pain of excommunication, their only means of communicating their progress to the outside world was by sending up smoke through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

On Wednesday evening and then again on Thursday lunchtime, the smoke was black, emitting disappointed sighs from the tens of thousands watching.

But on Thursday afternoon just after 6pm (1600 GMT) the smoke emitted was white, confirming that the Catholic Church has a new spiritual leader.

It was not clear exactly how many ballots it took to elect the new pope, but it followed recent history in wrapping up in less than two days. In 2005, Benedict XVI was elected in four ballots and Francis in 2013 in five ballots.

While the details of the election will forever remain secret, the new pope had to secure at least two-thirds of votes to be elected.

By tradition, he entered the Room of Tears -- where freshly-elected popes give free rein to their emotions -- to don a papal cassock for the first time, before returning to the Sistine Chapel so the cardinals could pledge their obedience.

He then appeared on the balcony along with a senior cardinal, who announced to the waiting crowds "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope").

The pope then gave a short speech and imparted his first "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and the World") blessing.

Pastor or diplomat

The election has come at a time of great geopolitical uncertainty, which was seen as a key voting issue, along with the rifts within the Church.

Francis was a compassionate reformer who prioritised migrants and the environment, but he angered traditionalists who wanted a defender of doctrine rather than a headline-maker.

Some 80 percent of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis. Hailing from 70 countries around the world, it was the most international conclave ever.

That was no guarantee, however, that the cardinals would pick someone in his vein.

The question was whether to choose a pastor or diplomat, a liberal or conservative, someone versed in the Curia -- the Church's governing body -- or a relative outsider from areas of the world where Catholic faith is thriving.

Before the cardinals were locked into the Sistine Chapel Wednesday, their dean Giovanni Battista Re urged them to choose someone able to protect the Church's unity.

The next pope must also be able to lead "at this difficult and complex turning point in history", amid raging conflicts around the world and the rise of ultra-nationalist parties.

The Church has also had difficulty in adapting to the modern world, with declining priest numbers and increasingly empty pews in the West.

The papal inauguration usually takes place less than a week after the election with a mass celebrated before political and religious leaders from around the world.

The new pope will likely do a tour of St Peter's Square in his popemobile for the first time, before delivering a homily outlining his priorities.