The identity of the new leader of the Catholic church to replace the late Pope Francis has been revealed.
DIPLOMATICINFO.COM reports that cardinals on Thursday evening selected the 267th leader of the Catholic Church.
White smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel, the signal that cardinals have chosen a new pope on the second day of the conclave.
During the papal conclave, the cardinals were barred from leaving or having any contact with the outside world as they selected the next leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, a 73-year-old Frenchman born in Morocco, made the announcement of a new Pope.
Cardinal Mamberti was expected to announce this unless he himself was elected pope.
Announcing the new Pope, Dominique said: “I announce to you a great joy, We have a Pope. The most eminent and the reverend Robert Francis.”
Habemus Papam: Pope Leo XIV Elected as the 267th Pontiff
At 6:07 p.m. CEST on May 8, 2025, white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling the successful election of a new pope. Moments later, the Cardinal Protodeacon emerged on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and proclaimed to the world: Habemus Papam!
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the new pope and has taken the name Pope Leo XIV, becoming the 267th successor of Saint Peter.
Born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, Pope Leo XIV is the first American-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church. A member of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.), he served as the Prior General of the order from 2001 to 2013. He later became Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru and, in 2023, was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis.
His election marks a historic moment, reflecting both the Church’s global identity and his deep missionary experience in Latin America. Pope Leo XIV is expected to bring pastoral sensitivity and administrative strength to the papacy.
The new Pope has taken the name “Pope Leo XIV”
