When is Pope Leo XIV’s first mass? Date, start time, where to watch Robert Francis Prevost
(CORRECTION: This story was updated because an earlier version included an incorrect date.)
White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City on Thursday evening local time, signaling the era of a new pope's reign and the leader of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is now Pope Leo XIV following a two-day papal conclave seeking a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.
The 69-year-old Chicago native was chosen by 133 cardinal electors as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, making him the first pontiff born in the United States. Throughout his career, he has served primarily as a missionary in Peru and holds dual citizenship with South American countries.
Following his announcement, Pope Leo stepped onto the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and greeted the cheering crowd of thousands saying, "Peace be with you all."
"I also want to thank all the fellow cardinals who chose me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk with you, as a united Church always seeking peace, justice - always trying to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries," he said in fluent Italian.
When is Pope Leo XIV’s first mass?
Pope Leo XIV will give his first Latin Mass in the Sistine Chapel on Friday, May 9, 2025, according to Vatican News.
What time does Pope Leo XIV’s first mass start?
Pope Leo XIV's first Latin Mass with the College of Cardinals will start on May 9, 2025 at 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. EDT).
How to watch Pope Leo XIV’s first mass
Pope Leo XIV's first Latin Mass on Friday will be broadcast live on Vatican News's YouTube channel.
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.
Contributing: John Bacon, Jorge L. Ortiz, Kim Hjelmgaard and Susan Miller, Paste BN; Reuters