First American pope: Cardinal Prevost introduced as Pope Leo XIV

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected the new pope, set to succeed the late Pope Francis and mark the first time an American has served as pope.

He took the name Leo XIV and emerged from the balcony of St. Peter’s Square to introduce himself, just more than an hour after white smoke emanated from the Sistine Chapel to signal his election.

The selection of an American pope is a historic one that breaks the norms of the Catholic Church. The idea of an American pope has historically been considered a long shot because cardinals typically pick leaders from non-superpower nations.

The first words from Leo XIV, which are closely watched by Catholics, were “Peace be with you all.” He appeared visibly emotional while he addressed the square and the world as the new pope.

He also paid tribute to Francis, speaking in Italian, as he is expected to continue his predecessors direction of the church towards inclusion.

“Let us keep in our ears the weak voice of Pope Francis that blesses Rome. The pope who blessed Rome, gave his blessing to the entire world that morning of Easter. Allow me to follow up on that blessing. God loves us. God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail,” he said, according to the CNN translation.

Prevost, 69, is from Chicago and has largely worked in Peru. He is an Augustinian friar and graduated from Villanova University in 1977.

He also spoke in Spanish from the balcony in a nod to his work in Peru. After his remarks, the new pope waved to a cheering crowd for several minutes before entering St. Peter’s behind him.

The pope chose Prevost to be prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America in 2023. The role involves recommending candidates for bishops to the pope and overseeing the commission that studies the Catholic church in Latin America, according to the Catholic News Service.

Before Prevost came out on the balcony, the Pontifical Swiss Guard lined up on the square while the crowd of spectators celebrated, cheered and waved flags from around the world. Cardinal Dominique Mamberti first came out on the balcony to announce the new pope.

Updated 2:16 p.m.