Leo XIV is elected new Pope: American Cardinal Robert Prevost surprises the Catholic world

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 – After days of intense anticipation, the Catholic world celebrated the election of the new leader of the Church on Thursday. The traditional white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel at 6:07 p.m. (local time), signaling that the cardinals had reached a consensus. Shortly after, the cardinal protodeacon announced to the world: Habemus Papam – Leo XIV.

The chosen one was Robert Francis Prevost, an American cardinal from Chicago and until then prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops at the Vatican. At 69 years of age, he becomes the first pope in history to come from the United States, marking an unprecedented and symbolic moment for the more than 1.3 billion Catholics in the world.

During the announcement, the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square received the news with euphoria, many visibly moved. In his first Urbi et Orbi blessing, Leo XIV called for "unity, dialogue and mercy in times of global division."

The choice of the name Leo XIV evokes a line of reformist and vigorous popes. The last to use the name was Leo XIII (1878–1903), known for his openness to the modern world and defense of the Church's social doctrine.

Prevost, an Augustinian by training, lived for years as a missionary in Peru and is known for his conciliatory and pastoral profile. His election reflects a possible continuation of the reformist spirit of Pope Francis, with whom he has worked closely in recent years.

Expectations now revolve around the new pontiff's first decisions, especially on issues such as synodality, combating abuse and renewing the Roman Curia.