American Robert Prevost has become the 267th pope after more than two-thirds of the cardinals voted for him to succeed the late Francis.
A senior cardinal appeared on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to announce the Chicago-born cardinal had been elected by the Conclave, and that he had taken the name Pope Leo XIV.
The faithful cheered in the Vatican square, waving flags from many countries in celebration at the arrival of the news.
After the death of Argentine Pope Francis, many observers believed the cardinals would elect a European successor.
But if they decided to go back to the Americas, the 69-year-old Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishop from Chicago, the largest Archdiocese in North America, was likely to be the top candidate.
The cardinal, who holds both American and Peruvian citizenship, also served as the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, where nearly 40 per cent of the world’s Catholics reside.
He assumed both these roles in 2023, making him relatively inexperienced, but he was favoured by Pope Francis and was believed to be considered the main “Bergoglian” candidate, as an ally of the late head of the Vatican.
