By allcitynews.ng
The Vatican has elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV to serve as the 267th leader of the over 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
Prevost was elected today, Thursday May 8, 2025, to succeed Francis after many hours of intense deliberation among more than 100 cardinals, who gathered in the secrecy of the Sistine Chapel to cast their votes in a centuries-old ritual designed to uphold unity, tradition, and spiritual discernment within the Catholic Church.
The 69-year-old new pontiff appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica just minutes after senior cardinals confirmed his election with the traditional words “Habemus Papam”, Latin for “We have a Pope”, and introduced him by his chosen papal name.
Speaking in Italian, the new pope began his address with “Peace be with all of you!” and went on to praise his predecessor, saying Pope Francis was always “courageous” and had “blessed Rome.”
“The pope that blessed Rome gave his blessing to the whole world on that Easter morning. Together we must try to find out how to be a church that builds bridges, establishes dialogue and is open to receives everybody.
“Let us follow up that blessing. God loves us and God loves all of you. Sin will not prevail, we are all in the hands of God.”
The election of the new Pope was confirmed by the Vatican on Thursday with the white smoke oozing out above the Sistine Chapel where thousands of worshippers had gathered to witness the new leader of the church.
As the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica rang out, the joyous crowd erupted once more, their anticipation now turning to excitement for the first public appearance of Pope Francis’s successor, who emerged victorious after securing at least 89 of the 133 votes cast by cardinals in the conclave.
As gathered, the new Pope, originally from Chicago and the first American to be elected to the papacy, has spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru and became a cardinal only in 2023.
Prevost has attracted interest from his peers because of his quiet style and support for Francis, especially his commitment to social justice issues.
The new Catholic leader served as a bishop in Chiclayo, in northwestern Peru, from 2015 to 2023.
Francis brought him to Rome that year to head the Vatican office in charge of choosing which priests should serve as Catholic bishops across the globe, meaning he has had a hand in selecting many of the world’s bishops.
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