Cardinal Robert Prevost Announced as Pope Leo XIV, Makes History as First American Pontiff
Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church
A short time after white smoke billowed from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel on the afternoon of Thursday, May 8, the world found out who the new pope is Cardinal Robert Prevost
Prevost is the first American pope in history
The 2025 papal conclave lasted two days
Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. His papal name is Pope Leo XIV.
White smoke finally rose from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel on the afternoon of Thursday, May 8, signaling to onlookers that the voting cardinals have come to a two-thirds consensus and decided on a new pope. The conclave, which began on May 7, lasted two days.
A short time later, protodeacon of the College of Cardinals came out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and announced “habemus papum,” which means “we have a pope.”
The conclave, the historically secretive process of choosing a new pope, involves rounds of voting among members of the College of Cardinals who are under 80 years old. In the 2025 conclave, there were 135 cardinals who were eligible to vote, although two were unable to attend due to health reasons.
At 133 cardinals, this marked the most electors to ever vote in a conclave — a voting body of 115 elected Pope Francis — and 108 of those were installed by the late pontiff, who was elected on the fifth ballot back in 2013, which was cast the day after the conclave began.