May 08, 2025, 6:32 PM GMT
PHOTOS: The New Pope
Take a look at photos from Vatican City as it is announced that Pope Leo XIV is the next pontiff.
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American Cardinal Robert Prevost elected new pope, will take the name Pope Leo XIV | Live updates
Pope Leo XIV will be the Catholic Church's 267th leader.
Last updated: Friday, May 9, 2025 12:40AM GMT
VATICAN CITY -- The temporary chimney atop the Sistine Chapel released a plume of white smoke on Thursday evening local time, signaling that the 133 cardinals working inside had reached a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope for the Catholic Church.
American Cardinal Robert Prevost was shortly thereafter announced as the 267th pontiff. He chose the name Leo XIV, a senior cardinal deacon announced.
The 69-year-old Chicago native is the first American pope and is seen as a diplomat in the church.
"This is the first greeting of the risen Christ. May the peace be with you," Leo said in Italian in his first remarks as pope. "This is the peace of the risen Christ."
(The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.)
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Here's how the news is developing.
May 09, 2025, 12:25 AM
Watch 'The American Pope | Leo XIV'
Pope Leo XIV - history-making, the first American Pope. Now, David Muir reports from the Vatican in the breaking, new "20/20" special edition. Watch the premiere of "The American Pope | Leo XIV" tomorrow night at 9/8c on ABC. Stream on Hulu and Disney+
May 08, 2025, 6:03 PM GMT
New pope led order dedicated to the poor and service
The new pope was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, formed in the 13th century as a community of "mendicant" friars dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization.
The order's requirements and ethos are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity.
The order works in about 50 countries, according to its website, promoting a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others.
May 08, 2025, 9:21 PM GMT
What to know about the 1st American pope
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has become the first-ever American elected as the leader of the Catholic Church -- now known by his pontifical name of Pope Leo XIV.
The 69-year-old, born on the Southside of Chicago, is seen as a diplomat of the church and was an important adviser to his predecessor, Pope Francis.
Go here for everything we know about the newly announced Pope Leo XIV.
May 08, 2025, 5:48 PM GMT
Pope Leo is a 'very down-to-earth person'
Father James Martin, a papal contributor to ABC, said he knows Pope Leo, formally Cardinal Robert Prevost, describing him as "very-down-to-earth."
Martin told ABC News the new pontiff is a "very kind person, very reserved."
Martin previously said days before the conclave's start that the American cardinal was a front-runner for the papacy.
