Vatican City ( Europe Brief News) – Cardinal Robert Prevost, a 69-year-old missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s office of bishops, has been elected as the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. Leo XIV was the name chosen by Prevost when elected.
The historic moment began to unfold on Thursday as white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel; it meant the cardinals had made a decision on the second day of their conclave. The great bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled as tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers, with many shouting “Viva il papa!” Priests made the cross sign, and nuns wept as the crowd awaited official notice, as reported by IPM Newsroom.
The white smoke signalled that the newly elected pope had managed at least 89 votes from the total of 133 cardinals present to elect a successor to Pope Francis.
As the anticipation grew, the Swiss Guards marched out, and there was a military band playing while marching up the steps to the basilica.
The formal declaration came when a senior cardinal appeared on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica and proclaimed “Habemus Papam!” (“We have a pope!”). The cardinal then announced the new pope’s birth name in Latin and revealed his chosen papal name, Leo XIV.
The Wait in St. Peter’s Square
Throughout the day, crowds filled St. Peter’s Square, a mix of pilgrims, tourists, and journalists from around the world. Some had come as part of pre-planned Holy Year pilgrimages, while others were drawn by the historic nature of the conclave.
“The wait is marvellous!” said Priscilla Parlante, a Roman citizen, as she stood among the excited crowd.
Pedro Deget, a 22-year-old finance student from Argentina, shared his thoughts on the transition of leadership.
“Francis did well in opening the church to the outside world, but on other fronts, maybe he didn’t do enough. We’ll see if the next one will be able to do more.”
Not everyone in the square was fully supportive of the direction set by Pope Francis. The Rev. Jan Dominik Bogataj, a Slovene Franciscan friar, expressed his preference for another candidate.
“If I were in the Sistine Chapel, I’d be voting for Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem,” he said. “He has clear ideas, not much ideology. He’s a direct, intelligent, and respectful man. Most of all, he’s agile.”
The Conclave Process
The conclave opened Wednesday afternoon with a ritual rich with tradition. The cardinals, wearing brilliant red cassocks, met in the Sistine Chapel under the vigil of the Swiss Guards. After solemn oaths and Latin chants, doors were closed, and the cardinals were sealed off from the world.
The 70-year-old Secretary of State to Pope Francis and the frontrunner for the papacy, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, headed the first meeting on behalf of the oldest cardinal under 80 years qualified to take part. Speculation about his chances intensified when Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, a respected elder among the cardinals, was overheard telling Parolin “auguri doppio” (“double best wishes”) during the pre-conclave Mass. It was either merely an exercise of goodwill or a subtle endorsement, and the issue was a source of controversy.
The voting procedure was done according to protocol. Each cardinal wrote his choice on a ballot inscribed with “Eligo in summen pontificem” (“I elect as supreme pontiff”). Moving to the altar, they swore an oath, read their ballot and tipped it into a silver and gold urn.
Three of the cardinals were chosen randomly by lot to count the votes, which were called out by reading the name as each ballot was pierced by a needle and tied together. The bundle was then placed in the chapel stove, where chemicals were added to burn the bundle, which sent either white or black smoke, depending on the outcome to the world.
