American Cardinal Robert Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV

Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Pope on May 8, taking the papal name Leo XIV and becoming the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to come from North America.

The election succeeded at the fourth round of the secret ballot, on the second day of the Conclave, the gathering of 133 cardinals eligible to vote, following black smoke on the first day on May 7 and two more earlier on May 8.

Pope Leo succeeds Pope Francis, who headed the Roman Catholic Church from his election on March 13 2013 until his death on April 21 2025.

The new Pontiff becomes the leader of the world’s estimated 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, the largest Christian denomination.

When the white smoke – traditionally announcing the election of a Pope – billowed soon after 6pm local time, the many thousands in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica erupted in joy and the bells of the Basilica began to peal, having remained silent during the Conclave.

Pope Leo was born in Chicago on September 14 1955. He joined the Augustine Order in 1977, after obtaining a degree in mathematics. He went on to a Master of Divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Ordained a priest in 1982, he has spent much of his ministry outside the US.

Pope Francis appointed Prevost a cardinal in 2023. The new Pontiff is seen as a moderate.