Leo XIV: American Cardinal Prevost Elected as New Pope After Conclave

Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected on Thursday to become the 267th pope, adopting the name Leo XIV, as the first pope from the United States.

The 69-year-old Chicago native was an unlikely choice, selected by the conclave of 133 cardinals after being convened to select a new pope following the death of Pope Francis last month.

Tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square celebrated as he gave his first blessing, "Peace be with you all."

Prevost dedicated the majority of his time as a missionary to Peru, where he served as the bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023, after Pope Francis assigned him to oversee global bishop selections at the Vatican.

Prevost had a background of being known as reserved and sympathetic to Francis’ priorities on social justice, in March 2023 he became a cardinal.

His lack of being a noticible public figure, along with more position toward pastoral work with marginalised peoples, makes him different than most other candidates.

Prevost's election follows the twelve-year papacy of Pope Francis, who envisioned modernity, inclusion, and a series of reforms, including dialogues on the inclusion of LGBT and women in the Church. There are cardinals who wished to retain continuity with Francis and those who wished to restore traditions of conservatism.

Prevost said in a statement in 2023 that we need to “enlarge the tent” of the Church. This gives indications that he may continue reform carefully in conjunction with maintaining some level of doctrinal stability in the church.

In his role as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, Prevost led an effort to promote leadership across the global Church attaching a strong emphasis on humility and outreach domestically and abroad. His appointment comes as the Church experiences lingering tensions around the impact of these changes, demographic decline particularly in the West, and a push for greater transparency.

Many analysts will be watching to see if and how he takes up polarizing topics of concern, such as clerical abuse scandals or climate justice, which were part of his predecessor's portfolio.