The College of Cardinals elected a new pope Thursday, the first from America in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.
Robert Francis Prevost, native of Chicago with dual citizenship in Peru, was announced as the church's 267th pontiff by Dominique Mamberti, the senior cardinal deacon. They appeared on the St. Peter's balcony just after 7 p.m. local time overlooking St. Peter's Square where crowds had gathered following the signal of white smoke from the Sistine Chapel's chimney.
He took the name Pope Leo XIV.
Leo has been an archbishop in Peru. He was chosen in 2023 by Pope Francis to lead the office vetting bishop nominations.
Pope Francis died in April. He had served as pope since 2013, and his official cause of death was a cerebral stroke that led to a coma, though he has had ongoing health issues for months. The pope's health had been waning over several years, and in the months before he passed, he was hospitalized for double pneumonia.
