Pope Leo XIV stepped onto a balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Thursday, simultaneously stepping into his new role as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Crowds in the square and around the world rejoiced moments earlier when white smoke billowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel shortly after 6 p.m., signaling that the cardinals inside had elected a new pontiff.
Dressed in the white and red vestments of his new office, Leo XIV, shed the uniform of a cardinal and the name, Robert Francis Prevost, he used for 69 years. Originally from Chicago, he becomes the first American pope.
The conclave to select Pope Francis’ successor after his death in April, the first in 12 years, lasted just over 24 hours. That continued a recent trend of relatively brief conclaves, despite the fact that this was the largest ever. Over 130 voting-age cardinals, many of whom were appointed by Francis himself, were in attendance.
Leo XIV assumes the papacy at an uncertain time for the church and its 1.4 billion members, as it confronts questions about whether to continue Francis’ agenda of greater reform, or forge a more conservative path. Leo XIV’s supporters, in the run-up to the conclave, had pitched him as a “dignified middle of the road” candidate.
On Thursday evening the crowds stretching from St. Peter’s Square to the Tiber River were all at least briefly united in excitement.
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