Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, First American Pontiff
- Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the 267th pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, on May 8, 2025, at the Vatican after a two-day conclave.
- The election followed Pope Francis's death on April 21, 2025, and involved 133 cardinals voting in the Sistine Chapel with white smoke signaling the selection.
- Born in Chicago in 1955, Prevost is the first pope from the United States and spent many years working as a missionary and archbishop in Peru before being appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome.
- Pope Leo XIV addressed onlookers in Italian from St. Peter’s Basilica, urging peace, dialogue, and missionary outreach, saying, "Peace be with you" and promoting a "disarmed and disarming peace."
- His election marks a continuation of Pope Francis's priorities, suggests addressing divisions in the church, and will culminate in formal installation on May 18, 2025.
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