History is made with new Pope Leo XIV, first-ever pontiff from US: Recap
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost on Thursday became the first ever pope from the United States, a surprise selection by 133 cardinals from across the globe on the second day of the papal conclave in Rome.
The new pontiff, who took the name Leo XIV, greeted the thousands of exuberant faithful and onlookers, many overcome with emotion as he spoke from the red velvet-draped central balcony at St. Peter’s Square.
"Peace be with you," he told the cheering crowd in fluent Italian. Leo, who became the church's 267th pope, also spoke in Spanish but not English in his brief address.
Prevost, 69 and originally from Chicago, has spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru and has dual Peruvian nationality. He became a cardinal only in 2023 and less than two years later will officiate his first Mass as pope Friday, May 9, in the Sistine Chapel at 11 a.m. local time, 5 a.m. ET.
Leo thanked Pope Francis and repeated his predecessor's call for a church that is engaged with the modern world and "is always looking for peace, charity and being close to people, especially those who are suffering."
He wasn't one of the names mentioned frequently as top contenders to succeed Francis, who died April 21.
He had attracted interest from his peers because of his quiet style and backing of Francis' 12-year papacy, especially his devotion to social justice issues. Leo is considered a centrist, so perhaps a compromise choice, but is not seen as open to the LGBTQ+ community the way Francis was.
Read the full transcript of Leo's first message to supporters around the world
Leo appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on May 8 after white smoke had billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signifying the 133 cardinal electors had chosen a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church.
"Peace be with you,'' he told the adoring crowd, pointing out those were the words Jesus Christ used to greet his disciples after his resurrection.
You can read the full text of his remarks here.
Leo XIV pays homage to reformer with 25-year tenure
While Francis picked a name that had never been used by a pontiff as he honored St. Francis of Assisi, the newest pope took a more traditional route.
Thirteen previous leaders of the Catholic Church had gone by the name Leo, though none since the election of Leo XIII in 1878. During his 25-year tenure, the fourth longest on record, Leo XIII became known as a reformer who advocated for diplomacy and scientific progress while positioning the church as a defender of human rights.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters the newly installed pope chose his name as a nod to the last pontiff named Leo. Margaret Thompson, an associate professor of history at Syracuse University, called that a "powerful choice.''
“Leo XIII is considered the father of Catholic social teaching,’’ Thompson said. “This signals a potential emphasis on justice, labor and the church’s role in the modern world.”
How to watch Pope Leo XIV’s first mass
Leo's first Latin Mass will be broadcast live on Vatican News's YouTube channel.
Leo's debut wardrobe was different than Francis'. Here's what changed.
Upon his arrival to St. Peter's Basilica balcony on May 8, the newly elected Leo wore a bright red shoulder cover and ornately decorated stole, a contrast from the stark white attire the late Francis wore while stepping out on the balcony more than a decade ago.
While Leo XIV's attire may have appeared lavish compared to Francis', the new pontiff actually took a more traditional approach, Rev. Bruce Morrill, a theology professor at Vanderbilt University, told Paste BN on May 8.
For centuries, newly elected popes have worn a white cassock (ankle-length clerical coat), white zucchetto (skull cap), red pellegrina (shoulder cover), red and golden stole, and a pectoral cross (large cross worn as a necklace), Morrill explained. Each piece of the ensemble holds an important meaning in the Catholic faith.
The pellegrina, or shoulder cape, is attached to the cassock and is not limited to popes. Cardinals, bishops and priests can also wear the piece of clothing, which is why new popes often wear a red one.
The red and gold stole Leo wore on May 8 features ornate illustrations of the four gospels in the New Testament − Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Morrill said.
– Greta Cross
JD Vance, nation's most senior Catholic official, congratulates new pope
Vice President JD Vance, 40, congratulated Leo in a post on X, saying, "I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church."
"May God bless him!" the vice president added.
Vance was baptized Catholic and received his first communion in 2019 at St. Gertrude Priory, which is attached to a Dominican parish in Cincinnati. He visited with Francis in Vatican City last month, one day before the former pope's death.
While the vice president had tussled with Francis in the past over immigration, he called it an honor to meet with him and said his "heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world" after Francis' death.
– Francesca Chambers, Grace Tucker
An 'extremely joyful day' for US Catholics
The stunning news of the Catholic Church's first American pope gave way to excitement for Catholics across the United States, who greeted the announcement that Leo had been named the global church's leader with delight.
“I’m thrilled,” said Moises Rodrigues, a longtime city councilor in Brockton, Massachusetts. “Imagine, for the first time in our history having an American pope. Someone who understands American issues. And he’s also a friend of Pope Francis. I’m in gaga land.”
Meanwhile, Rev. Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, the director of St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington D.C., said the selection “totally shocked” him.
“I never thought in my lifetime I would see an American pope,” he said as he listened to Pope Leo XIV's first words through a cell phone. “Today is an extremely joyful day.”
Jameson, who leads operations at the mother church of the archbishop of Washington, applauded the selection and says he's hopeful the new pope will push for unity, peace and inclusivity as Francis had.
Before he was elected pope, Leo XIV was critical of Trump, Vance on social media
Just an hour before Prevost was introduced as pope, a crowd that had stood watch for hours with eyes glued to the Sistine Chapel chimney roared in elation as white smoke poured into the sky and bells tolled across the plaza, signaling the selection of a new leader of the church’s 1.4 billion members.
Before being elected as the leader of the Catholic church, Leo XIV shared social media posts criticizing President Donald Trump's and Vance's stances on immigration.
In three posts, then-Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago was critical of Vance's take on religion, shared an article critiquing Vance's statements on deportation of migrants and retweeted criticism of Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's response to the deportation of Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a resident of Maryland.
One post from Feb. 3, 2025, pointed to an article in the National Catholic Reporter titled, "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others."
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, had cited medieval-era Catholic teaching to justify the United States' new immigration policy under Trump.
In 2015, Prevost posted a link to a Washington Post opinion piece titled "Cardinal Dolan: Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is so problematic."
Francis, Leo's predecessor, clashed repeatedly with Trump and Vance, particularly over the administration's immigration policies. He was critical of their plans to deport millions of migrants from the United States, as well as widespread cuts to foreign aid and domestic welfare programs.
– Sarah D. Wire and Francesca Chambers
LGBTQ+ Catholic group welcomes new pope – hopes 'his heart and mind have developed more progressively'
New Ways Ministry, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics, said in a statement to Paste BN that it "welcomes" Pope Leo XIV as the new leader of the Catholic Church.
The group also said it was disappointed to see reports that Leo has made statements criticizing the acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, including remarks in 2012 to a group of bishops.
"We pray that in the 13 years that have passed,12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, that his heart and mind have developed more progressively on LGBTQ+ issues, and we will take a wait-and-see attitude to see if that has happened," said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry.
– Marina Pitofsky
Prominent Catholics Biden, Pelosi welcome first American pope
Two of the most most prominent Catholics in American politics celebrated the selection of the first pope from the United States, which was not certain to happen in their lifetimes.
Former President Joe Biden, 82, greeted the news with a post on X using the Latin term to announce a new pontiff has been chosen: “Habemus papam.’’
“May God bless Pope Leo XIV of Illinois,’’ Biden’s post continued. “Jill and I congratulate him and wish him success.’’
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, still a House representative for San Francisco, was more expansive in her own social media post, pointing out Pope Leo was “elected by one of the largest and most diverse conclaves ever.’’
Pelosi, 85, welcomed the new pontiff’s message of openness and unity, and she urged prayer for his success. “It is heartening that His Holiness continued the blessing that Pope Francis gave on Easter Sunday: “God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail,’” she wrote.
Who are Robert Prevost's family members? Here are Pope Leo XIV's parents, siblings
Pope Leo XIV's family includes his father, Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, according to a news release from the Vatican, and his mother, Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. The Chicago Sun-Times has reported his father was an educator and his mother a librarian.
He has two brothers, Louis Martín Prevost and John Joseph Prevost.
Robert Prevost attended Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Villanova University in Pennsylvania before earning a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
How a Chicago native became pope: See Robert Francis Prevost's path to making history
Prevost will succeed a groundbreaking, pioneering pope whose progressive positions, emphasis on inclusivity and ability to connect with people all over the world, from all backgrounds and across different faiths, made him a beloved religious figure, even in secular realms.
Prevost was pastor of vocations and director of missions for the Augustinian order in Chicago and worked in Peru for several years teaching canon law. He also served as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher and vicar. He served two terms as the head of the Augustinian order, until 2013.
In 2014, Francis appointed him to an administrative post in Peru, and became bishop there, as well as vice president of the Peruvian Bishops Conference until 2023.
His most recent position, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, was a powerful one: He was responsible for selecting bishops. Prevost was elevated by Pope Francis to the rank of cardinal in September 2023.
St. Patrick's Cathedral bells echo along Manhattan skyscrapers
Along Manhattan's famed 5th Avenue, church bells echoed from St. Patrick's Cathedral between the skyscrapers. The papal flag fluttered next to the American flag at the cathedral's entrance.
The daily noon Mass was ending when the priest delivered the news of a new pope, said Helen Benicaso, 71, of West Orange, N.J. The congregation erupted in applause.
"'Once a Catholic, always a Catholic,''' as Bruce Springsteen says," Helen Benicaso, a retired school teacher, told Paste BN as people gathered in front of the cathedral. "You never stray because it's always there − the beliefs and moral code of living.”
She and her husband, Girard, 77, visited New York City to see a show at Carnegie Hall the night before. On May 8, the married couple of 43 years went to mass before heading home to New Jersey.
– Eduardo Cuevas
Chicago church officials 'happily shocked' with selection of American-born pope – and curious about his baseball allegiances
Larry Sullivan, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Chicago, said at a Thursday press conference, “It's a day of great excitement for Chicago, for the United States to have one of our own be elected as the pope to serve as the Holy Father.”
Sullivan said he has not worked with the new pope directly but knows many people who know him personally and are members of the Augustinian community.
“I have been hearing wonderful stories about Cardinal Prevost long before there was any consideration that he might have been elected as pope,” Sullivan said.
Father Gregory Sakowicz, Rector of Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral, recounted a similar sense of surprise, saying he was “happily shocked,” before joking with reporters over a detail about the new pope he’s yet to learn.
“Now one burning question I have is, the fact that the Pope Leo XIV, (former) Cardinal Prevost, was born in Chicago in the South Side, is he a Chicago White Sox fan?”
– Kathryn Palmer
Trump, Obama, other US political leaders embrace first pope from the United States
Several American political figures welcomed the unexpected emergence of the first pope from the United States.
President Donald Trump offered his congratulations to Leo in a social media post, saying: "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!''
Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, a native of Chicago, also congratulated their "fellow Chicagoan'' through a post on the X platform. "This is a historic day for the United States, and we will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith," the posting said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement he was praying for Pope Leo to "impart wisdom, strength, and grace" in his new role."
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who is Catholic, said he was surprised and “emotional” to hear the new pope is an American. Kaine said the last pope named Leo was “really known as a working person’s pope,” and added of Prevost, “Taking that name really sends a message of where his heart lies.”
– Francesca Chambers and Riley Beggin
New pope selected: Who is Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV?
Prevost attended Villanova University and Catholic Theological Union in Chicago before earning a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
He served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops (formerly known as the Congregation for Bishops) and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since 2023. He was also the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023, part of a nearly four-decade stretch when he went back and forth between serving in Peru and Chicago, starting in 1985.
In addressing the St. Peter's Square crowd Thursday, Leo sent a special greeting in Spanish "to my beloved Chiclayo diocese in Peru.'
As a cardinal Prevost kept a low profile and granted few interviews. But he said in a 2023 Vatican press conference: "Our work is to enlarge the tent and to let everyone know they are welcome inside the church."
Cardinals voted multiple times before the pope was chosen
The cardinals spent Thursday morning shut off from the world inside the Sistine Chapel, the historic sanctuary adorned with frescoes from Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists. The cardinals prayed for guidance and conducted two secretive votes, trying to determine new leadership for the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.
The electors returned to their lodging quarters, Casa Santa Marta, for lunch and reconvened late Thursday afternoon.
What happens after we see white smoke? How long did it take for a new pope to be announced?
In 2013, Pope Francis was announced a little over an hour after white smoke plumed from the chimney, per previous reporting by The Daily Telegraph. In that hour, the elected cardinal chose his papal name before appearing on the Sistine Chapel balcony, greeting the world as pope for the first time.
−Greta Cross
Mom waits to learn whether son will be next pope
Over 350 miles from the conclave in Rome, Maria Tadini was focused on the small television in her modest home in the northern Italy town of Castel Liteggio. She later learned her son, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, did not become the next pope. Pizzaballa was one of a half dozen or more cardinals considered strong candidates.
"Here he is! There he is! Hello, my joy," she said when Pizzaballa appeared on the screen with other cardinals entering the Sistine Chapel. "Pierbattista, come home!"
Pizzaballa, 60, has served the church in Jerusalem since 1990. He drew global notice after the Hamas attack on southern Israel in 2023 when he offered himself as a hostage in exchange for the release of children taken by the militants.
Tadini, who will turn 90 next month, says she has visited her son in Jerusalem three times.
"If he has to (go to Rome), it's fine, but it's also fine if he goes back to Jerusalem," Tadini told the Italian media outlet Corriere della Sera. "He spent many years there and did well. I wouldn't mind. If he stays in Rome, it's another task, but in the Holy Land he has always done his duty."
Crowds back at St. Peter's Square for second day
Thousands of tourists, pilgrims and just interested Romans gathered in St Peter's Square for a second day Thursday, eager to see white smoke emerge from the chimney, signaling a successor to Francis had been selected. During the morning the smoke was black, meaning no candidate has received the necessary two-thirds majority. That changed at 6:06 p.m. local time.
Tom Barbitta, from North Carolina, is vacationing in Italy with his wife, Susan, and came to the square to see the smoke.
"Francis was a great guy, down to earth, humble," Barbitta told Reuters. "I hope they will choose someone just like him."
Many people in the square had scheduled their visits to Rome well before Pope Francis died or the conclave had been scheduled.
“Being here during this conclave is a miracle,” Linda Perotti from Colorado, told the Associated Press. “I truly believe that the pope that they vote in will be a healer, will bring unity to this world."
Dean of cardinals sees 'need for an awakening'
There are more than 250 cardinals, but only those under age 80 are "electors" who can participate in the conclave. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, is 91 years old and thus has not been locked up in the Sistene Chapel with his colleagues. Re was in Pompeii on Thursday but said he planned on returning to Rome.
"I hope that this evening when I return to Rome I will already find the white smoke," Re told Corriere della Sera. Re said that whoever is elected pope "first of all must try to strengthen faith in God in this world of ours characterized by technological progress."
Re said "forgetting God" has become prevalent and there is a "need for an awakening."
Black smoke rose from Vatican on first day
The second day of the conclave came after the first vote Wednesday failed to name a successor to Francis Darkness had already fallen over Rome on Wednesday when black smoke rose from the chimney of the iconic Sistine Chapel, watched by thousands in a packed St. Peter's Square.
Some traditions are timeless − black smoke from the chimney after a vote means no candidate has received the necessary votes. White smoke means a new pope has been elected.
And the ban on communicating with outsiders, which dates to medieval times, remains. Nowadays, however, the Vatican has taken high-tech measures to ensure secrecy. No cellphones are allowed, and the technology sweep of the chapel takes place to ensure there are no recording devices. Jamming devices are also used.
Front-runners for pope: Who was favored to be the next pope?
Some of the cardinals who had been frequently mentioned as candidates to succeed Francis included non-Italians Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, of the Philippines, a liberal sometimes referred to as "Francis 2," France's Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille, and Peter Erdo, 72, of Hungary, who is considered a favorite among the more conservative cardinals. Prevost's name was rarely on any list of contenders.
There had been 266 popes before Leo, and 217 of the have been Italian. Italy had strong contenders this time, too, including cardinals Pietro Parolin, 70, the Vatican Secretary of State who is considered a moderate, Pizzaballa, 60, the patriarch of Jerusalem, and Matteo Zuppi, 69, a close associate of Francis.
Who was electing the pope?
There are more than 250 cardinals, but they must be younger than 80 to serve as electors. Still, a record 133 cardinals from 70 countries were casting votes, up from 115 from 48 nations for the 2013 conclave that elected Francis. The increase in cardinals is a function of Francis' efforts to expand the reach of the church, and one result is that 80% of current voting cardinals were appointed by him.