American cardinal becomes Pope Leo XIV

(CN) — Robert Francis Prevost, a 69-year-old American from Chicago, became the new pope on Thursday. He chose his papal name to be Leo XIV.

Prevost was an unexpected pick and he became the first pontiff from North America. He succeeds Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American leader. He became the 267th pope.

Appearing on a central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica before jubilant crowds, Leo gave a moving speech that opened with the words: “Peace be with you all.”

Speaking in fluent Italian to about 100,000 people gathered in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, the new pope made a call for peace central to his address while also clearly signaling he intended to continue Francis’ efforts to expand the church’s global reach. He said the church must “build bridges and be a missionary church.”

But his main theme was his call for peace.

“Evil will not prevail,” he told the faithful. “By all of us coming together, we can be a single people always at peace.”

He also spoke in Spanish, to the delight of the many Spanish speakers in the crowd. Leo spent two decades in Peru, leading an Augustinian seminary in the coastal city of Trujillo and serving as bishop of the northern city of Chiclayo. .

After only a day and a half, 133 cardinals meeting as the conclave inside the Sistine Chapel picked Leo after four votes.

White smoke signaling the election of the new pope billowed from a chimney atop the historic chapel just after 6 p.m. in Rome.

At the sight of the white smoke, tens of thousands of faithful outside St. Peter’s Basilica erupted in cheers and joy. The Vatican’s bells rang out and its marching bands headed toward the square playing triumphant music. Many in the crowd shouted “Hallelujah!” and “Viva il papa!” — long live the pope! — while onlookers waved their nations’ flags.

Francis made Prevost a cardinal less than two years ago and he was seen as a rising contender for the papacy after he was put in charge of a Vatican office that evaluates bishop candidates.

Leo was born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955, and chose to become a priest as a young man, joining the Order of St. Augustine at 22.

Besides Peru, he served the church in Rome and Chicago.

Known as a mild-mannered and simple man who cares for the poor and vulnerable, his selection was viewed as a sign that church leaders wanted someone to carry on Francis’ legacy.

His choice of the name Leo XIV also indicated he wanted to reflect the papacy of Leo XIII, a long-reigning Italian pope who died in 1903. Leo XIII was best known for his advocacy of workers’ rights and he is known as the “Social Pope” or “the Pope of the Workers.”

World leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, quickly congratulated the new pope.

“It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope,” Trump said on social media. “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!”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the pope’s message of peace from the St. Peter’s balcony, the Loggia delle Benedizioni.

“In a time marked by conflict and unrest, his words from the Loggia delle Benedizioni are a powerful call for peace, brotherhood and responsibility,” Meloni said. “A spiritual legacy that follows the path traced by Pope Francis, and that Italy looks at with respect and hope.”

Leo also faces criticism for failing to take action against priests under his watch who faced sex abuse allegations.

On Thursday, SNAP, an advocacy group led by people abused by priests, said it viewed Leo’s election with “grave concern” because of his “record on abuse management.” The group charged that many of the cardinals who elected Leo were involved in abuse and covering up sexual abuse.

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