New Pope Leo XIV.: American triumphs after 24 hours of conclave!

New Pope Leo XIV.: American triumphs after 24 hours of conclave!

Petersplatz, 00187 Rom, Italien - On May 8, 2025, Robert Prevost was elected as the new Pope and bears the name Leo XIV. This marks a significant moment in the history of the Catholic Church, since Prevost is the first American in the papal office. The election took place after only 24 hours in the conclave, in which 133 cardinals entitled to vote took part. The decisive fourth ballot finally led to the agreement on Prevost, whose choice was officially confirmed by the rising white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine chapel in the evening at 6:00 p.m. Cardinal Protodiacon Dominique Mamberti announced the words "Habemus Papam" at 7:10 p.m. href = "https://www.gala.de/stars/news/robert-prevost-neuer-papst-leo-xiv–24368336.html"> Gala reported.

The choice was characterized by a high expectation, since a lot of possible candidates were discussed in front of the conclave. Cardinal Pietro Parolin was considered a favorite among the analysts, but Prevost ultimately prevailed. His choice was enthusiastically recorded on St. Peter's Square of around 15,000 believers. They received the new Pope with applause and a musical bell ringing of St. Peter's Basilica, which reinforced the solemn atmosphere of the moment, such as GMX emphasized.

Catholic world under new leadership

Robert Francis Prevost, born on September 14, 1955 in Chicago, is internationally known as a person who appreciates both progressive and conservative church representatives. Before he was elected Pope, Prevost was head of the Chiclayo diocese in Peru and made a name for himself with various positions in the church. He has been the global head of the Augustinian Order since 2002 and has also headed the Pontifical Latin America Commission. Prevost speaks fluent Spanish and Italian and is considered pragmatic and diplomatic, such as Süddeutsche Zeitung reported.

In his first speech on the balcony of St. Peter's cathedral, Pope Leo XIV thanked his predecessor, Pope Francis, and the cardinals entitled to vote. Numerous believers who had gathered on St. Peter's Square experienced this historical moment together. Before the conclave, there was initially an unsuccessful ballot, which further increased the tension, but ultimately the election was a success for Prevost and for the Catholic World Church with its 1.4 billion members. He will probably continue the path of his predecessor to promote a broader participation of all believers.