FILE PHOTO: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost poses after being elevated to the rank of cardinal at the Vatican, September 30, 2023.
Yara Nardi | Reuters
Roman Catholic cardinals selected U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost as new pope on Thursday. Prevost chose the papal name Leo XIV
Prevost, the first American to be elected pope ,was chosen on the second day of their conclave Thursday, signaling the election with plumes of white smoke billowing from a chimney at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
The prior pontiff, Pope Francis, died April 22 at age 88.
In recent Vatican conclaves, the new pope’s name was announced between 25 minutes and 66 minutes after white smoke was seen above the Sistine Chapel. White smoke was seen at about 12:07 p.m. ET.
The new pope is be the 267th Roman Catholic pontiff, the spiritual leader of more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide.
A huge crowd in St. Peter’s Square awaited the announcement of the pope’s identity.
Nuns react to the white smoke indicating that a new pope has been elected, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Eloisa Lopez | Reuters
“I saw the smoke, but I haven’t seen the pope,” President Donald Trump quipped to reporters when asked a shouted question about the election.
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