Cardinal Robert Prevost has made history as the first American pope in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year existence, choosing the name Leo XIV after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Thursday evening in Vatican City.
The 69-year-old Augustinian priest, who has spent much of his career as a missionary in Peru, emerged onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at 6:07 p.m. local time to address tens of thousands of faithful gathered in the square below.
“Peace be with you all,” the new pontiff began in his first public address, speaking in Italian before switching to Spanish. “This is the peace of Christ risen from the dead. God is close to you all.” He referenced the late Pope Francis and expressed a desire to continue his predecessor’s tradition of blessing the world.
Prevost brings a diverse background to the papacy. Born in Chicago, he holds a mathematics degree from Villanova University and advanced degrees in divinity and canon law. After his ordination in 1982, he joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985, where he served in various capacities including seminary director, canon law professor, parish pastor, and judicial vicar.
Pope Francis brought Prevost to the Vatican in 2023 to lead the powerful office that vets bishop nominations worldwide, showing the late pontiff’s trust in him. In early 2025, Francis further demonstrated his esteem by elevating Prevost to the most senior rank of cardinals.
His selection confounds traditional Vatican wisdom that an American would never be elected pope while the United States remains a superpower. The cardinals needed at least 89 votes (a two-thirds majority of the 133 voting participants) to elect Prevost, achieving this consensus relatively quickly on just the second day of the conclave.
“For us Peruvians, it is a source of pride that this is a pope who represents our country,” said Isabel Panez, an elementary school teacher in Lima, where cathedral bells rang out following the announcement. During his address, Prevost specifically greeted his “beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru.”
President Donald Trump quickly responded to the historic election, posting: “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, himself a Catholic, called it “a moment of profound significance” and said “The United States looks forward to deepening our enduring relationship with the Holy See with the first American pontiff.”
Vatican observers note that Prevost’s choice of the name Leo may hold significance, potentially evoking Leo XIII, who authored the influential 1890 encyclical Rerum novarum championing workers’ rights and advocating for justice in a changing industrial world.
As the 267th pontiff, Pope Leo XIV inherits leadership of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics at a time of significant challenges for the Church. He concluded his first address by praying the Hail Mary in Italian and asking for the protection of the Madonna before offering his “Urbi et Orbi” blessing – to the city of Rome and to the world.