The Cardinals gathered in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel have elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope, who took the name Pope Leo XIV,” Vatican News announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, marking a new chapter in the leadership of the global Catholic Church.
The election of Cardinal Prevost followed days of intense deliberation among the College of Cardinals after the resignation of Pope Francis due to declining health.
Prevost, an American-born prelate who previously served as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, becomes the first U.S.-born Pope in history — a development that signals both continuity and change within the ancient institution.