Robert Francis Prevost has been named as the first American to serve as the Pope.
He has been elected as Pope Leo XIV and emerged onto the balcony to an eruption of applause while people could be heard chanting his name.
Speaking in Italian and then Spanish, he said Pope Francis was always ‘courageous and blessed Rome’.
But who is Robert Francis Prevost? Metro takes a look below.
Who is Robert Francis Prevost?
The new Pope was born in Chicago and was made cardinal by Francis in 2023.
He spent many years as a missionary in Peru and is reportedly close to Francis’s vision regarding the environment, outreach to the poor and migrants.
He said in 2024: ‘The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom.’
He supported Pope Francis on allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion.
In other areas he appears more conservative, only showing mild support for Francis allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.
Despite this, he was known as the ‘compromise candidate’ for the papacy.
What happens next?
Pope Leo XIV has just delivered his speech to the tens of thousands of people listening to him in St Peter’s Square.
A ceremonial mass to install the new Pope is expected to take place around one week from now.
This will happen in either St Peter’s Square or basilica, with cardinals, bishops and other international dignitaries present.
These days, there is less pomp and pageantry than before, for example, Pope Paul VI was the last to wear the triregnum, during his installation in 1963.
What will the Pope’s first act be?
His first act has been choosing his name – Pope Leo XIV.
This is to signify that him becoming Pope is akin to a second birth.
Going forward, his responsibilities will include choosing his residence, addressing broader issues within the Church itself.
This includes declining Church attendance and the ongoing battle with the sex abuse crisis gripping the institution.
What is the reaction to the new Pope?
World leaders have started coming out to congratulate Robert Francis Prevost on becoming the new Pope including President Donald Trump.
He wrote on his Truth social platform: ‘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.
‘I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!’
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