The new pope and head of the Catholic Church has officially been named after two days of deliberations.
Pope Francis’ successor has been formally been chosen by the conclave after its highly secretive meeting came to an end just two days into the election process.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, has been officially announced as the new pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. The historic moment was declared from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Born in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV becomes the first American in history to lead the Catholic Church.
His past roles include serving as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru (2015–2023) and as head of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013.
The new pope has been named following the death of Pope Francis born Jorge Mario Bergoglio who passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke, ending his 12-year leadership of the Catholic Church.
After the traditional nine-day mourning period, attention quickly turned to who would succeed him, with eight cardinals emerging as leading contenders.
Today’s announcement follows the gathering of the College of Cardinals senior church leaders appointed by the late pontiff who traveled to Rome to undertake the solemn task of electing a new pope.
While there are over 240 cardinals worldwide, only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote, and the number of papal electors is typically limited to 120.
This time, Al Jazeera reported that 138 cardinals were eligible to vote.
Meeting in strict secrecy beneath Michelangelo’s iconic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, the papal conclave locked its doors, swore an oath of confidentiality, and cut off all communication with the outside world. Cardinals were housed in St. Martha’s House, allowed only brief breaks for meals and rest without access to phones, letters, or newspapers.
Over the past two days, they cast up to four votes a day. A new pope could only be chosen once a candidate received a two-thirds majority.
Each round of ballots was ceremonially burned with special chemicals, signaling the outcome to the world through smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney.officially
For the past few days, black smoke signaled indecision—until earlier today, when white smoke finally billowed from the Sistine Chapel, signaling a verdict had been reached.
Cheers erupted from the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square, and the bells rang out to confirm the momentous news.
With his election, Pope Leo XIV becomes the 267th pontiff, stepping into the role as spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics and the successor to St. Peter, the first pope.
Historically, the longest papal conclave lasted over two years, from 1268 to 1271. Once a candidate secures the necessary votes, he is asked if he accepts the role—and upon doing so, he chooses his papal name, as Cardinal Prevost did in becoming Pope Leo XIV.
