By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
VATICAN CITY (Worthy News) – Robert Prevost was elected as the first American pope on Thursday, appearing on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica as Leo XIV.
He was elected on the second day of the conclave, securing the most votes among the 133 cardinal electors. White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating that a new pope had been elected at the Vatican.
The 69-year-old pontiff immediately takes charge of the Vatican, leading the Catholic Church and exercising authority over its 1.4 billion followers.
Pope Leo XIV delivered his first public address and his first “Urbi et Orbi” (”To the City and the World”) blessing in front of the thousands who had gathered in St Peter’s Square.
“Peace be with all of you,” he said from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica this evening, in his first public words.
He then paid tribute to his predecessor Francis, saying he wanted to deliver his blessing to the people as the late pontiff did in his final appearance in St Peter’s Square.
The new pope is viewed as a centrist, but is progressive on some key social issues, church watchers said.
REACHING OUT
Like Pope Francis, who championed migrants and the poor, Prevost has long embraced marginalized groups, according to sources familiar with his thinking and work.
Made a cardinal by late Pope Francis in 2023, he has given few media interviews and rarely speaks in public.
Originally from Chicago, he has attracted interest from his peers because of his quiet style and support for Francis’ 12-year papacy, especially his commitment to what he called “social justice issues.”
He has significant missionary experience, having served as a bishop in Chiclayo, northwestern Peru, from 2015 to 2023.
That year, Francis brought him to Rome to head the Vatican office, where he was in charge of choosing which priests should serve as Catholic bishops worldwide.
Church watchers say he has influenced the selection of many of the world’s bishops.
His predecessor preferred to celebrate his birthday with the homeless and what he saw as “forgotten” members of society, and did not live in a palace.
TRADITIONS BREAK
Last month’s funeral, attended by hundreds of thousands of people in Rome, underscored Francis’s break with tradition and calls for simplicity, which marked the tenure of the first Jesuit to lead the church in its roughly 2,000-year history.
Francis, 88, requested a simple wooden coffin to contain his mortal remains. Church watchers called that “the final sermon” he preached at his funeral.
Pope Leo XIV, the name Prevost chose, was likely to continue in Francis footsteps reaching out to vulnerable people.
Prevost said during a 2023 Vatican press conference: “Our work is to enlarge the tent and to let everyone know they are welcome inside the Church.”
He became the first U.S. pontiff in a world facing war and other challenges such as divisions within the Catholic Church.
Yet global leaders, including U.S. president Donald J. Trump and key European heads of state and government, congratulated the new head of the Roman Catholic church.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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