The cardinal electors of the Catholic Church elected an American from among their own ranks on Thursday to serve as the new pope. Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected and accepted his fate as the next Bishop of Rome, leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Prevost chose Leo XIV as his papal name.
The new pontiff's identity was revealed about an hour after white smoke emerged from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, signaling that a new pope has been chosen with a decisive vote by the cardinal electors gathered for the papal conclave. After about an hour, the declaration was made from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica: "Habemus papam."
The crowd in St. Peter's Square erupted in stunned applause again as it was announced that the Catholic Church, for the first time in its history, had chosen an American as its leader.
Who is the new pope?Overall, Prevost is considered a centrist, but on many social issues he's seen as progressive, embracing marginalized groups like Francis, who championed migrants and the poor. Prevost opposes ordaining women as deacons, for instance, so he's seen as conservative on church doctrine.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost attends the funeral of Pope Francis, in St. Peter's Square, April 26, 2025, in Vatican City.
Franco Origlia/Getty
How does the duration of the 2025 conclave compare to past conclaves?The conclave to choose a successor to Pope Francis began on Wednesday afternoon, local time. The 133 cardinal electors taking part in the process prayed together and took a vow of secrecy before the doors closed and the first round of votes were cast. As night fell, black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel's chimney, indicating they had not yet agreed on a choice.
On Thursday morning, the cardinals resumed the process for Day 2 and, yet again, before lunch time in Rome, black smoke signaled no decisive outcome from the morning's round of two votes.
In recent history, conclaves have tended to only last a couple of days, and this year's followed suit.
Some past conclaves, however, dragged on much longer. The longest one ever, in the 13th century, took almost three years to choose Pope Gregory X.
The shortest conclave on record, in 1503, took just 10 hours to choose Pope Pius III.
How long was the conclave that elected Pope Francis?The conclave that elected Pope Francis began on March 12, 2013, and he was announced as pope the next day, after five ballots.
The conclave that elected his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, began on April 18, 2005. Benedict was announced as pope the next day after four ballots.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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