The 133 cardinal electors who gathered in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel have elected a new Pope.
He is Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955. He is now officially the Bishop of Rome, head of the Catholic Church, and sovereign of the Vatican City State.
Of Peruvian-American origin, Pope Leo XIV becomes the first pontiff born in North America.
He had served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since 2023. Prior to that, he was Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru (2015–2023) and prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine (2001–2013).
In 2015, he became a naturalized citizen of Peru, as confirmed by Peru’s National Civil Registry.
White smoke and the pealing of bells from the Vatican rooftops signaled the election of the new pope a few minutes after 5 p.m. Nigerian time on Thursday. The election occurred on the second day and third round of voting by the cardinal electors, who were sequestered until a decision was reached.
In comparison, Pope Leo XIII, his namesake, was Italian, born in 1810 near Rome. He earned degrees in theology, canon law, and civil law before his ordination. He died on July 20, 1903, at the age of 93 and was buried in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Pope Leo XIII is remembered as a reform-minded pontiff. He championed the rights of the working class, supported the coexistence of science and faith, advocated for clergy education, and improved the Vatican’s administration. He also worked to improve diplomatic relations between the Holy See and foreign nations.
