Monrovia-The world Thursday welcomed a new Pope as a replacement of the late Pope Francis who died last month of heart failure. He is the 267thPope to lead the Catholic Church of one Billion members
Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, was elected Thursday during the Conclave of 133 Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel in St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican has.
His election followed two failed attempts, the first being Wednesday and early Thursday Morning. Black smoke billowed out of the chimney over the Sistine Chapel, signaling a Pope has not been elected.
The third attempt proved successful when white smoke billowed from the same Chimney indicating a Pope had been elected.
Immediately after his election and adornment, Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to waive to the crowd.
During his remarks in Pope Leo XIV thanked his fellow cardinals for choosing him to lead the Catholic Church.
“I should also like to thank all my cardinal brethren who have chosen me to be the successor of Peter and to walk with you as a united church. Always seeking peace and justice. Seeking to work with men and women who are faithful to Jesus Christ without fear to proclaim the gospel to be missionaries,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV also paid tribute to the late Pope Francis, urging the crowd to remember his predecessor’s legacy.
“Let us keep in our ears the weak voice of Pope Francis that blesses Rome. The Pope who blessed Rome, gave his blessing to the entire world that morning of Easter. Allow me to follow up on that blessing. God loves us. God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail,” he said in Italian while addressing the crowd gathered at the Vatican.
“Peace be with you all,” says Leo XIV in first remarks as pope
“This is the first greetings of the resurrected Christ, the good shepherd who has given up his life for God,” he said, explaining the choice of his greeting. “And I should also like this greeting of peace to enter our hearts and our families.”
Leo XIV looked visibly emotional as he waved to the adoring crowd in the square below the balcony.
Who is he?
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has been elected the 267th pope and will soon step onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Prevost, 69, from Chicago, Illinois, is the first ever pope from the United States. He will be known as Leo XIV.
A leader with global experience, he spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and most recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments. He is expected to build on Pope Francis’ reforms.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, right, receives his biretta from Pope Francis as he is elevated in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican on September 30, 2023.
He worked for a decade in Trujillo, Peru, and was later appointed bishop of Chiclayo, another Peruvian city, where he served from 2014 to 2023. Prevost also holds a Peruvian passport and has been a Peruvian citizen since 2015.
In an interview with Vatican News shortly after he became the leader of the Dicastery for Bishops, Prevost said: “I still consider myself a missionary. My vocation, like that of every Christian, is to be a missionary, to proclaim the Gospel wherever one is.”
