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From the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Robert Prevost was introduced to the world today as Pope Leo XIV, the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first American to become pope.
He was elected by a group of 133 cardinals, the largest-ever conclave. Just over 24 hours after they gathered in intense secrecy, white smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican’s bells rang out, notifying tens of thousands of onlookers that a new pope had been chosen to lead 1.4 billion Catholics.
Dressed in the white and red vestments of his new office — which were waiting in various sizes as the cardinals cast their ballots — Leo used his first speech to talk of peace in the world and of “a united church, always seeking peace and justice.” Here are images from his first appearance.
Who is Leo? He is a 69-year-old Chicago-born polyglot who served for two decades in Peru, where he became a naturalized citizen. He rose to lead his international religious order, and took on one of the most influential Vatican posts — the office that selects and manages bishops.
Pope Francis named him a cardinal just two years ago, and his supporters pitched him as a “dignified middle of the road” between Francis’ inclusive approach and a more conservative doctrinal path. A social media account under his name highlighted articles criticizing the Trump administration’s positions on immigration. Here’s what else we know about him.
We talked to William Lego, a Chicago pastor who knew the new pope when they were young seminarians. “They picked a good man,” Lego said. “He always had that sense of being conscious of the poor and trying to help them.”
