Leo XIV is the new Pope. The long-awaited white smoke, indicating the election of the 267th Successor of Peter, began to rise from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel shortly after 18:07 p.m. (local time) on Thursday, May 8, 2025, causing a real commotion and shouts of joy among the thousands present in St. Peter's Square and the Via della Conciliation.

The cardinals reached a consensus in the fourth Conclave vote on the name of the new Successor of Peter. The pealing of the bells of St. Peter's Basilica, followed by the white smoke, was a confirmation that "Habemus Papam." Those present were eyewitnesses to a historic day for the Church and the world.

Having accepted his election to the Chair of Peter, the new Pontiff left the Sistine Chapel and went to the so-called "Room of Tears." There, with the help of the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, he donned the papal vestments prepared for the occasion and proceeded to the Basilica's Central Balcony (Loggia of Blessings) to make himself known to the world.

Before appearing on the balcony, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti announced the name of the new Pope to the world.

Annuntio vobis gaudium:

HABEMUS PAPAM

Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum Robertum Franciscum Sanctae Romane Ecclesiae Cardinala Prevost qui sibi nomen imposuit Leo XIV

I announce to you a great joy:

WE HAVE A POPE

The Most Eminent and Reverend, Lord Robert Francis Prevost, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, chose the name Leo XIV

John Paul I, in 1978, and Benedict XVI, in 2005, were also elected on the fourth ballot. The election of the new Supreme Pontiff took place on the day of the Supplication of Our Lady of Pompeii.

The White Smoke coming out of the chimney placed at the top of the Sistine Chapel is the signal that informs the faithful and the world that a new Bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter, has been elected Pope.

But until that happens, up to 33 votes can be held, and if a two-thirds consensus is not reached, Black Smoke will be released from the chimney at the top of the Sistine Chapel. If no consensus is reached, the 2th vote is held between the two most voted names, and the one who receives the most votes will be named Pope.

According to the rules established in the Ordo Rituum Conclavis and the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis , when one of the Cardinals present in the Sistine Chapel receives the necessary majority (2/3) and the election has occurred canonically, that Cardinal is named Pope.

The Cardinal most senior in order and age (or, if he is the one elected, the next in the line of succession) asks, in Latin and in the name of the entire Electoral College, for the consent of the Cardinal-elect with the following words:

“Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?”

Upon receiving consent, it then asks:

“What name do you want to be called?”

The Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, acting as a notary and with two ceremonial witnesses, then draws up a document confirming the acceptance of the elected Pope and the name he has chosen.

The Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis states that the conclave ends when the new Pope accepts his election, unless he decides otherwise, in which case the election is repeated.

By accepting, at this time, the Substitute of the Secretariat of State, the Secretary for Relations with States and others who need to discuss immediate matters with the new Pope, can enter the Sistine Chapel.

After the acceptance rite is completed, all ballots and other documents related to the election are burned, also adding a chemical to the fire that produces White Smoke, signaling to the world that a new Pope has been chosen.

As the faithful in St. Peter's Square applaud and the world awaits the name of the new Pope, the newly elected Pontiff leaves the Sistine Chapel and enters the "Room of Tears."

There, with the help of the Master of Liturgical Celebrations, he removes his cardinal's vestments and puts on one of the three papal vestments prepared for the occasion and spends a few minutes in prayer.

Upon returning to the Sistine Chapel, the newly elected Pope sits in the papal chair and begins a brief ceremony, introduced with a greeting from the senior Cardinal of the Order of Bishops.

The senior Cardinal priest then reads a passage from the Gospel, either "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church" or "Feed my sheep." Following this, the Cardinal Protodeacon offers a prayer for the newly elected Successor of Peter.

Next, all the Cardinal electors, in order of precedence, come forward to greet the new Pope and swear obedience to him. The ceremony concludes with the singing of the Te Deum , conducted by the newly elected Pope.

The Cardinal Protodeacon goes to the Loggia of Blessings to announce the election and name of the new Pope with the traditional formula: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!” (“I announce to you a great joy: we have a Pope!”).

Meanwhile, the new Pope, before proceeding to the Loggia of Blessings, stops at the Pauline Chapel to pray silently before the Blessed Sacrament. After this moment of prayer, he goes out to the Loggia of Blessings, where he gives his greeting and imparts the first apostolic blessing, Urbi et Orbi — to the city and to the world.

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Peace be with you!

Dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who gave his life for the flock of God. I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, to all people, wherever they may be, to all peoples, to the whole earth. Peace be with you!

This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarming peace, a humble and persevering peace. It comes from God, a God who loves us all unconditionally. We still hear in our ears that weak but ever-courageous voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome!

The Pope who blessed Rome was bestowing his blessing on the world, the entire world, on that Easter morning. Allow me to continue with that same blessing: God loves us, God loves us all, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God's hands. Therefore, without fear, united, hand in hand with God and with each other, let us move forward. We are disciples of Christ.

Christ precedes us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as a bridge to be reached by God and his love. Help us too, and then each other, to build bridges, through dialogue, through encounter, uniting us all to be one people, always in peace. Thank you, Pope Francis!

I also want to thank all my brother cardinals who chose me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk alongside you, as a united Church, always seeking peace and justice, always seeking to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.

I am the son of Saint Augustine, an Augustinian who said, "With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop." In this sense, we can all walk together toward the homeland God has prepared for us.

To the Church of Rome, a special greeting! We must seek to be a missionary Church together, a Church that builds bridges, engages in dialogue, always open to welcome, like this square with open arms. To everyone, to all those who need our charity, our presence, our dialogue, and our love.

And if you allow me also, a word, a greeting to all of them and in a particular way to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful community has accompanied its obispo, has shared its faith and has given so much, so much to follow being the Church of the son of Jesus Christ.

(And if you will also allow me, a word, a greeting to all of them, and in particular to my beloved Diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people accompanied their bishop, shared their faith and gave much, much to continue to be the faithful Church of Jesus Christ.)

To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, of the whole world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close, especially to those who suffer.

Today is the day of the Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, to be close, to help us with her intercession and her love. Therefore, I would like to pray with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the entire Church, for peace in the world, and let us ask for this special grace from Mary, our Mother.

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The origins

American Robert Francis Prevost , 69, is the first Augustinian Pope, the second pontiff from the Americas – Pope Francis was the first – and the first from North America.

The new bishop of Rome was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. He has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph.

He spent his childhood and adolescence with his family and studied first at the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers and then at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1977 with a degree in Mathematics and studied Philosophy.

On September 1 of the same year, he entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) in St. Louis, in the province of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Chicago and made his first profession of faith on September 2, 1978. On August 29, 1981, he professed his solemn vows.

He studied at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, graduating with a degree in Theology. At the age of 27, his superiors sent him to Rome to study Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum).

In the city, he was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, at the Augustinian College of Santa Monica, by Bishop Jean Jadot, pro-president of the Pontifical Council for Non-Christians, now the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

Prevost obtained his degree in 1984 and, the following year, while preparing his doctoral thesis, he was sent to the Augustinian mission in Chulucanas, Piura, Peru (1985-1986).

In 1987 he defended his doctoral thesis on “The role of the local prior of the Orda of Saint Augustine” and was appointed Director of Vocations and Director of Missions of the Augustinian Province “Mother of Good Counsel” in Olympia Fields, Illinois (USA).

The following year, he entered the Trujillo mission, also in Peru, as director of the common formation project for Augustinian aspirants from the vicariates of Chulucanas, Iquitos and Apurímac.

For eleven years, he held the positions of Prior of the community (1988-1992), Director of Formation (1988-1998) and formator of the professed (1992-1998) and in the Archdiocese of Trujillo he was Judicial Vicar (1989-1998) and Professor of Canon Law, Patristics and Morals at the “San Carlos e San Marcelo” Major Seminary.

At the same time, he was also entrusted with the pastoral care of Our Lady Mother of the Church, which was later established as a parish with the title of Santa Rita (1988-1999), on the poor outskirts of the city, and he was parish administrator of Our Lady of Monserrat from 1992 to 1999.

In 1999, he was elected prior provincial of the Augustinian Province “Mother of Good Counsel” of Chicago and, two and a half years later, at the Ordinary General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine, his fellow friars chose him as prior general, confirming him in 2007 for a second term.

In October 2013, he returned to his Augustinian province, Chicago, and was director of formation at the convent of Saint Augustine, first counselor and vicar provincial; positions he held until Pope Francis appointed him, on November 3, 2014, apostolic administrator of the Peruvian diocese of Chiclayo, elevating him to the episcopal dignity as titular bishop of Sufar.

He entered the diocese on November 7, in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio James Patrick Green, who ordained him bishop just over a month later, on December 12, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the Cathedral of Santa Maria.

His episcopal motto is "In Illo uno unum ," words that Saint Augustine pronounced in a sermon, the Exposition on Psalm 127, to explain that "although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one."

On September 26, 2015, he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo by the Argentine pontiff and, in March 2018, he was elected second vice-president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, where he was also a member of the Economic Council and president of the Culture and Education Commission.

In 2019, by decision of Pope Francis, he was included among the members of the Congregation for the Clergy on July 13, 2019, and the following year, among the members of the Congregation for Bishops (November 21). In the meantime, on April 15, 2020, he also received the pontifical appointment as apostolic administrator of the Peruvian diocese of Callao.

On January 30, 2023, the Pope called him to Rome as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, promoting him to archbishop. And, in the Consistory of September 30 of the same year, he created him a Cardinal, assigning him the diaconate of Santa Monica.

Prevost took office on January 28, 2024, and, as head of the dicastery, participated in the last apostolic journeys of Pope Francis and in the first and second sessions of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, held in Rome from October 4 to 29, 2023, and from October 2 to 27, 2024, respectively.

Meanwhile, on October 4, 2023, Pope Francis included him among the members of the Dicasteries for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches; for the Doctrine of the Faith; for the Oriental Churches; for the Clergy; for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; for Culture and Education; for Legislative Texts; and the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.

Finally, on February 6 of this year, he was promoted to the order of bishop by the Argentine Pontiff, receiving the title of Suburbicarian Church of Albano. During his predecessor's final hospitalization at the Gemelli Hospital, Prevost presided over the rosary for Pope Francis's health on March 3 in St. Peter's Square.

The election of Leo XIV marks a new chapter for the Catholic Church, uniting tradition and renewal. The first Augustinian Pope in history brings with him decades of missionary experience in Peru and a synodal vision shaped by his predecessor, Pope Francis. With the motto "In Illo uno unum" (In all one, one) , inherited from Saint Augustine, the new Pontiff promises to strengthen interreligious dialogue and social justice.

His multicultural profile—the son of a French-Italian father and a Spanish mother—reflects the universality of the Catholic faith. The choice of the name "Leo" evokes the reformist popes of the 19th century, pointing to a pontificate that balances theological roots and openness to the modern world. It remains to be seen how he will manage challenges such as secularization in Europe and the quest for transparency in the Curia.

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