THE AMERICAN POPE

New Canadian Prime Minister Carney, a practicing Catholic, called the pope’s election a “historic day for Catholics and all who look to the Vatican for guidance.”

“At a time of global challenges, may his pontificate carry forward a mission of solidarity, compassion, and dignity for all.” Carney said in a post on social media.

Kurt Martens, who teaches at The Catholic University of America in Washington, said Robert Prevost’s choice of the name of Leo XIV, referencing XIII and his foundational encyclical on social teaching — suggests continuity with the church’s direction under Pope Francis.

Martens said references in Leo XIV’s speech to embracing the whole world as well as synodality are more signs that the new pope will continue to focus on the poor and those on the margins of societies.

Mozambique President Daniel Chapo said it was “with joy and jubilation that the people and government of the Republic of Mozambique received the happy news of his election.” Mozambique, once a colony of Portugal, has nearly 9 million Catholics.

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said in a Facebook post, “I wish a Pontificate filled with achievements and blessings, under the sign of interreligious dialogue, peace and human brotherhood,” The West African nation, while predominantly Muslim, has a significant Catholic minority.

Kenya’s Archbishop Anthony Muheria said Pope Leo XIV has visited Kenya “many times,” remembering him as “a very pleasant person and a good listener.” Catholics in Kenya make up the second largest denomination.

The Russian president extended his “cordial congratulations” to the new pope in a message published on the Kremlin’s website, wishing him “success in fulfilling the high mission entrusted to you, as well as good health and well-being.”

“I am confident that the constructive dialogue and interaction established between Russia and the Vatican will continue to develop on the basis of the Christian values that unite us,” the Russian leader said.

Just over 24 hours after walking into the Sistine Chapel, solemn and unsmiling to begin the conclave, cardinals beamed and clapped as one of their own, Robert Prevost, walked out of the frescoed chapel as Pope Leo XIV. The first American pope also smiled to the electors and other leaders of the church as he exited the Sistine Chapel, a video released by the Vatican showed. He then stopped to pray alone, kneeling in front of the altar of the Pauline Chapel.

Antonio Guterres said he looks forward “to building on the long legacy of cooperation between the United Nations and the Holy See – nurtured most recently by Pope Francis – to advance solidarity, foster reconciliation, and build a just and sustainable world for all.”

“The election of a new Pope is a moment of profound spiritual significance for millions of faithful around the world, and it comes at a time of great global challenges. Our world is in need of the strongest voices for peace, social justice, human dignity and compassion,” Guterres said.

And he quoted the new pope’s first words: “Despite the rich diversity of backgrounds and beliefs, people everywhere share a common goal: ‘May peace be with all the world.’”

The bells pealed at Holy Name Cathedral as a crowd quickly gathered. Schoolchildren mingled outside, whooping and shouting. Bishop Larry Sullivan, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago, told a press conference that it’s an exciting day for the city and the country.

“I would say the Chicago way is that we come together, we share our faith,” he said.

The cathedral’s rector, Father Gregory Sakowicz, said the sun came out in Chicago when the new pope was announced, a coincidence he described as “God’s way of remaining anonymous.”

He said he was “happily shocked,” and that he had a burning question: was new Pope a White Sox fan? A journalist said she’d heard he’s for the Cubs, and Sakowicz chuckled. “God bless him,” he said.

Boston is among the most Catholic of U.S. cities — about a quarter of the population identifies as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center, down from 29% in 2014 after the clergy abuse scandal broke in the city and spread worldwide.

Boston’s former archbishop, Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, turned 80 in June, so was too old to vote, and his successor, Archbishop Richard Henning, is not a cardinal. The city lacked a direct representative inside the conclave, but is cheering nonetheless.

“We have a pope! I join with Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston and throughout the world, along with people of good will, in celebrating the election of Pope Leo XIV as the new Holy Father,” Henning said in a statement. “We pray for him as he begins this ministry as the Vicar of Christ and the Bishop of Rome. May he be for us a visible source and foundation of communion in faith.”

His choice of languages reflects his “pastoral care,” said Prof. Bruce Morrill of Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

“First and foremost his office is bishop of Rome,” Morrill said after the American pope initially spoke Italian, then switched to the Spanish he used in decades spent ministering in Peru.

“The conventional wisdom was that there would not be an American pope because of geopolitical implications,” said Morrill, a Jesuit priest.

Morrill also noted that Leo XIII issued the first modern encyclical on modern social justice, about workers’ protections. So choosing the name Leo XIV suggests the new pontiff’s priorities: “This is a man also very concerned about the church serving the greater social needs of the world,” Morrill said.

“I greet the new Pope, the new Bishop of Rome, with great brotherly love in Christ and great expectations,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew told the Associated Press Thursday at an event in Athens. He said he’ll be in Rome for the pope’s enthronement.

Reflecting on his longstanding cooperation with Pope Francis, Bartholomew expressed hope for continued progress in Catholic-Orthodox relations. He and Francis collaborated on global challenges including climate change, migration and the impact of technological change. They also hoped to end a centuries-old dispute by finding a common date to celebrate Easter.

“I hope that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV will be a dear brother and collaborator … for unity of the whole Christian family and for the benefit of the whole of humankind,” he said.

By Paolo Santalucia, Andrew Medichini, Markus Schreiber, Francisco Seco

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni says:

• Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Mass on Friday morning at 11 a.m. with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel.
• He plans to deliver his first Sunday noon blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica
• And he plans to hold an audience with the media on Monday in the Vatican auditorium

The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers as the white smoke billowed into the air. It meant the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.

Former U.S. President George W. Bush said he and his wife, Laura, are “delighted” to congratulate former Cardinal Robert Prevost on his election to become pope.

“This an historic and hopeful moment for Catholics in America and for the faithful around the world,” Bush said in a statement. “We join those praying for the success of Pope Leo XIV as he prepares to lead the Catholic church, serve the neediest, and share God’s love.”

In many ways, Francis saw Prevost as his heir apparent. But there had long been a taboo against electing a pontiff from a country whose geopolitical power loomed so large in the secular sphere. Prevost, a Chicago native, was seemingly eligible because he’s also a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.

His selection is also enormously significant because of its potential impact on the future of the U.S. Catholic Church, which has been badly divided between conservatives and progressives. With Prevost’s help at the help of the bishop vetting office, Francis embarked on a 12-year project to rein in the traditionalists in the United States, which is terrifically important to the global church financially.

Robert Prevost, a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru before taking over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, chose Leo XIV for his papal name.

Leo XIII, an Italian who led the church from 1878 to 1903, softened Catholicism’s confrontational stance toward modernity — especially science and politics — and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought, most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers’ rights and capitalism.

The name “is a deep sign of commitment to social issues. I think it is going to be exciting to see a different kind of American Catholicism in Rome,’’ said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, the chair of religious studies at Manhattan University in the Bronx.

Trump spoke to reporters outside the West Wing, saying that for the new pope to be American, “What greater honor can there be?”

“We’re a little bit surprised and we’re happy,” Trump added.

Marco Rubio, a Catholic, issued a statement expressing his “heartfelt congratulations” to the new pope during “a moment of profound significance” for the church.

“The papacy carries a sacred and solemn responsibility,” Rubio’s message said. “May the Holy Spirit impart wisdom, strength, and grace as he shepherds the Church. The United States looks forward to deepening our enduring relationship with the Holy See with the first American pontiff.”

Speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time as pope, Leo XIV addressed in Spanish the people of Chiclayo, which sits sits just 9 miles (14 km) away from Peru’s northern Pacific coast and is among the country’s most populous cities.

“Greetings… to all of you, and in particular, to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop, shared their faith,” he said.

A religious order is a community of Catholics — which can include priests, nuns, monks and even lay people — dedicated to a particular type of mission and spirituality. A core value for the Order of St. Augustine that the new pope belongs to is to “live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God.”

Pope Francis was the first pope from the Jesuit religious order ever, and the first in more than a century and a half to come from any religious order. The previous one was Gregory XVI (1831-1846), a Camaldolese monk. In all, 34 of the 266 popes have belonged to religious orders — and six of them before Leo XIV were Augustinians, according to America, a Jesuit magazine.

Pope Francis brought Prevost, a Chicago native, to the Vatican in 2023 to lead the office that vets bishop nominations, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church.

He kept a low public profile in Rome, but was well known to the men who count. Significantly, he presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms Francis made, when he added three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pope. In early 2025, Francis again showed his esteem by appointing Prevost to the most senior rank of cardinals.

Back in Prevost’s old diocese in Chiclayo, Peru, the Rev. Fidel Purisaca Vigil said Prevost would have breakfast with his fellow priests after saying his prayers each day. “No matter how many problems he has, he maintains good humor and joy,” Purisaca said in an email.

▶ Read more about Robert Prevost’s background

“Peace be with you all. Dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for the flock of God. I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts to reach your families to all people everywhere to all the earth: peace be with you.”

Leo XIV

Prevost’s election as pope is swelling the pride of Peruvians.

“For us Peruvians, it is a source of pride that this is a pope who represents our country,” said elementary school teacher Isabel Panez, who happened to be near the cathedral in Peru’s capital when the news was announced. “We would like him to visit us here in Peru.”

Robert Prevost, the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, addressed the crowd at St Peter’s Square for the first time as Pope Leo XIV.

The U.S. president posted his reaction on his Truth Social social media platform.

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”

The new pope was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, formed in the 13th century as a community of “mendicant” friars dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization.

The order’s requirements and ethos are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity.

The order works in about 50 countries, according to its website, promoting a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others.

From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, history’s first American pope recalled that he was an Augustinian priest, but a Christian above all, and a bishop, “so we can all walk together.”

He spoke in Italian and then switched to Spanish, recalling his many years spent as a missionary and then archbishop of Chiclayo, Peru.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.

Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV.

The new pope, whoever he is, should now be donning his papal vestments in the so-called “Room of Tears.” It is thus named due to the emotional weight of the moment and the responsibility ahead.

People in the crowd continue to scream “Viva il papa!” as they remain suspended in time in huge anticipation.

Three friends in Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s hometown of Schiavon clinked their glasses in an Italian salute when the white smoke went up in St. Peter’s Square. “We hope it’s him,” said Mariano Vialetto, over an aperitivo in Caffè Centrale. “We have our fingers crossed.”

Morgan Zaetta was more sure: “It’s him, it’s him.”

Then the bells rang in the church, St. Margherita — only the sacristan says it wasn’t he who rang them and he doesn’t know who did.

“It wasn’t me,” said Angelo Cisotto, adding no one was in the bell tower and they could not be rung by remote.

“It’s a mystery,” he said. Asked if it could be a sign: “We hope, we hope.’’

The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers as the white smoke billowed into the air. It meant the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.

President Donald Trump was asked about the white smoke signaling that a new pope had been chosen. He offered little immediate reaction.

“I saw the smoke but I haven’t seen the pope,” Trump told reporters on his way out of a White House event with military mothers.

These cardinals lined up as military bands played the Italian and Holy See national anthems.

Spotted in the crowd were American Cardinals Sean O’Malley and Donald Wuerl, both of whom are over 80 and didn’t vote.

A marching brass band in blue uniforms led a contingent of Swiss guards through the crowd to a central spot below the balcony, generating another huge roar from the crowd.

The Pontifical Swiss Guard is the official security force of the Vatican, and holds a ceremonial and a protective function.

And now more marching bands are celebrating the election of a new pope in a parade that includes large groups in military dress uniforms.

“Vivi il Papa!” erupts from the crowd whenever the music pauses.

That’s where a cardinal will soon emerge to “to proclaim a new pope to Rome and to the world.”

There is incredible excitement — the crowd is roaring, and some are shouting “hallelujah!”

Moments after white smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel, the bells began tolling in Barcelona’s towering Sagrada Familia basilica and the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, across from the royal palace.

Some are obviously deeply moved, others excited. They’re clapping and waving national flags and taking photos with their phones.

“Long live the Pope!” Some Shoued.

It signals that a pope has been elected to lead the Catholic Church.

That means the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.

The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers.

The name will be announced later, when a top cardinal utters the words “Habemus papam!” Latin for “We have a pope!” from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. The cardinal then reads the winner’s birth name in Latin, and reveals the name he has chosen to be called.

The new pope is then expected to make his first public appearance and impart a blessing from the same loggia.