- Robert Prevost, a cardinal from the United States, has been elected as the new head of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first US pontiff and takes the name Leo XIV.
- In his first speech as pontiff, he said the church should “build bridges” and “welcome everyone”.
- More than 100 Roman Catholic cardinals meeting in a secret conclave elected the new pope.
- White smoke appeared from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on Thursday, signalling that a conclusive vote was held.
- The conclave followed the death of Pope Francis in April.
New Pope emphasises ‘peace’ in first address
In his first public words, Pope Leo told supporters “peace be with all you”.
He emphasised the theme of peace throughout the address.
“He is clearly setting the tone for his papacy,” Al Jazeera Hoda Abdel-Hamid reported from Vatican City.
“He also had a political tone there, calling for peace everywhere, calling for disarmament, calling for building bridges. So we do get an idea in which direction he will be heading,” she said.
Leo XIV has just spoken in Spanish
This is a summary of what he has said in Spanish:
- To all of you, the people of Rome and Italy, we need to be a church that shows charity always and is especially charitable to those who are suffering.
- Today is the day of praying to the Madonna of Pompeii.
- Our blessed mother Mary always wants to be close to us, so let us pray for this new mission and peace in the world.
He then performed the Hail Mary prayer.
‘We go forward,’ new pope says
Pope Leo has started his first address since assuming the role of leader of the Catholic Church.
“Evil will not prevail; we are in the hands of God,” he told supporters. “So without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we go forward.”
“Thank you, Pope Francis,” he said.
He called for a “missionary church … that builds bridges, is always open to welcome everyone”.
New pope takes to balcony
Newly appointed Pope Leo XIV has made his first public appearance, standing on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
He waved with both hands to cheering supporters below, some waving the United States flag.
We will bring you more shortly.
Who is Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV?
Prevost is a US and Peruvian citizen, who was brought to the Vatican in 2023 by Pope Francis to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, widely considered one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church.
While a native of Chicago, Prevost has lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.
Prevost was also twice elected prior general, or top leader, of the Augustinian religious order, the 13th-century order founded by St Augustine.
Ever since he arrived in Rome, Prevost has kept a low public profile, but he is well known to the men who count.
Significantly, he presided over one of the most consequential reforms Francis made, when he added three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pope.
‘This is wonderful, so quick and so united’
“The cardinals have obviously been speaking to each other for these days between the funeral and now the conclave, and then in four votes, they’ve come to elect somebody,” Jack Valero, the founder of Catholic Voices and commentator on church affairs, tells Al Jazeera.
“Eighty-nine cardinals or more have voted for someone, this is very quick and very good for the church being united,” he said.
“This is the same time it took to elect Benedict XVI and John Paul the First”, Valero said, adding, “Pius XII was elected in the 1930s in three ballots.
“Now, we had this situation where we had cardinals from all over the world, thanks to Francis bringing lots of different perspectives of what it’s like to be Catholic in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Western Europe, Eastern Europe … and yet, we have been able to choose a leader very quickly, which is wonderful” he said.
‘World Cup’ levels of excitement at the Vatican
I’ve seen many foreigners here from other religions.
It is a captivating show, even if you’re not from the Catholic faith, even if you’re not a follower of the church. People understand that this is a historic moment and honour.
It’s like being in the final of a World Cup. It really is. That is the level of excitement here.
Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected Pope
Cardinal Robert Prevost, a cardinal from the US, has now been elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday and has taken the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced to crowds in St Peter’s Square.
He should appear on the central balcony, the Loggia of the Blessings, shortly.
‘The church needs to be close to the new generation’: Analyst
The new pope must continue Pope Francis’s path of inclusion, says Luis Mendez a professor of business administration from Minas Gerais, Brazil.
“The church needs to be close to the new generation,” Mendez said, noting how his three children are also Catholic, but very little exited about the church.
“The right pope can point this new generation to the right direction, and this is what we are hoping for,” he said.
“We need a church that is inclusive, that doesn’t make certain people feel excluded, and this is what Pope Francis was doing.”
US President Donald Trump ‘saw the smoke’
The US president has briefly addressed the pending announcement.
“I saw the smoke, but I haven’t seen the pope,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House.
Trump was criticised after official White House social media accounts posted AI photos of him in papal garb.
That came shortly after he told reporters, “I’d like to be pope” – an apparent joke.
How much longer?
There’s no set time for when the new pope will be announced and make his first public appearance.
But based on history, it could be imminent.
Pope Francis appeared about an hour and 20 minutes after the white smoke was released.
Who are considered the top contenders?
Here are a few of the cardinals considered frontrunners:
- Pietro Parolin, 70, is the Vatican’s long-serving secretary of state and a senior figure in church diplomacy. He has been criticised for his handling of sex abuse allegations.
- Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, is a liberal-leaning cardinal from the Philippines. If elected, he would be the first pope from Southeast Asia.
- Peter Erdo, 72, is from Hungary and is a leading figure among the conservatives. He did not always agree with the direction Pope Francis was taking the church and has close ties to Hungarian leader Viktor Orban.
- Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, 65, is the archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is known for his leadership in a region facing conflict and rapid church growth.
Questions remain after new pope elected
It certainly comes as a surprise that the choice came so quickly.
Is it a compromise figure? Did a conservative win? Or did the church decide to stay on the progressive path?
All these questions are still up there for us outside the Vatican, but those inside have already answered that question.
‘I am deeply moved’
Rosaria Venuto can hardly withhold her tears.
Early this morning, she picked up her two children and drove for four hours from the small town of Ascoli Satriano to Rome to be in St Peter’s Square and see the election of the new pope.
“I am deeply moved to have the chance to be here and live through this joy and be a small part of this historical event,” she said.
“I knew the madonna would have intervened and made sure the election would have happened today,” she said, as she was not able to be here on Wednesday, the first day of voting.
What happens next?
The smoke signal means the winner secured at least 89 of the votes from the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.
The church leader’s name will be announced later, when a top cardinal utters the words “Habemus papam!” – Latin for “We have a pope!” – from the roofed area or loggia of the basilica.
The cardinal will read the new pope’s birth name in Latin and reveal the name he has chosen to be called.
The new pope is then expected to make his first public appearance and impart a blessing from the same loggia.
Habemus papam!
There was a moment of hesitation.
“Is it white!?” one of the tens of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square asked. “It is!!” another said, shouting with joy.
The crowd erupted in jubilation after waiting for hours to see the colour of the smoke coming out of the Sistine Chapel’s chimney.
Some had bought chairs, books and food for what many believed would have been a long wait.
“Habemus papam!” (“We have a pope!”) a group of people started chanting – the Latin phrase used in the announcement of the election of a new pope.
The emotion is palpable.
Now the faithful will be waiting for the new pope to reveal himself from the balcony of the basilica.
Welcome to our live coverage
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‘World Cup’ levels of excitement at the Vatican