A new Pope has been elected by the conclave of cardinals at the Vatican. A US-born prelate, Robert Francis Prevost, has been named as the new pontiff. He is the first American Pope in history.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Prevost, 69, has taken the name Leo XIV. He spent much of his church career as a missionary in Latin America and worked for a decade in Trujillo, Peru, before becoming bishop of the Peruvian city of Chicalayo.
Prevost was made a cardinal in 2023 and was appointed head of the Congregation for Bishops by the late Pope Francis the same year. The Congregation for Bishops is a powerful department within the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the selection of most new bishops. The appointment elevated Prevost’s status to a potential papal candidate.