An American, Cardinal Robert Prevost, has been elected as the new pope, taking the name Leo XIV. See the moment the announcement was made.

Vatican City

Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American, has been elected as the new pope and will take the name Leo XIV. Prevost was born in Chicago and previously served as a missionary in Peru. He is a member of the Augustinian religious order and has been the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops for the past two years.

Observers noted that Prevost’s election was unexpected, as the idea of an American pope was previously considered highly unlikely. His pastoral work in Peru and leadership in the Vatican have given him a broad international perspective, and he is regarded by colleagues as approachable and well-liked.

Prevost’s background includes a degree in mathematics from Villanova University and studies at the Angelicum, a Dominican university. He is recognized for his openness, balance, and skills in dialogue. The Dicastery for Bishops, which he led, is responsible for appointing bishops worldwide.

The news of Prevost’s election was met with surprise and excitement among onlookers in Rome, including American visitors. Many expressed hope that he would continue the pastoral approach established by his predecessor, Pope Francis. His appointment marks the first time an American has become pope, which has been described as a historic moment for the Catholic Church.



Watch: Cardinal Robert Prevost of U.S. announced as new pope

But should it be Cardinal Perling? Sure. Oh, here we go. Here we go. Here we go. Now we know. Now we know. This is the moment. I'm going to have the Monsignor explain what we're going to hear right now. A new pontiff about to be announced. We are going to see Cardinal Monberti, a French Cardinal, come out and say to us, I announce to you, great news, good news. It is. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Man. Ha. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Habemus Papum. Ha, ha, ha. We are going to see Cardinal Monberti, a poyntiff about to be announced. It is. Habemus Papum. We are going to see Cardinal Monberti, decimum quartum. This is stunning. It is an American Monsignor. Again, a great, great surprise. An American, the prefect of the congregation of bishops who, born in Chicago, an Augustinian from a religious order, but moved to Peru as a missionary. And an amazing, an amazing surprise for the church and the world. A moderate, stunning moment. Because of course, it used to be said for two centuries that the idea of an American pope was unthinkable. And here we have an American successor of Peter. I am absolutely stunned. I never thought an American could be pope. A dark horse would be the first American-born pope. And while he was born in Chicago, he was a missionary. He spent a lot of time in Peru. This will be a continuation of the pastoral approach of Pope Francis, correct? Absolutely. I mean, we will see what he brings to it. But first of all, I can't believe we have an American pope. That is just amazing. The likelihood of that was near zero, as far as everybody was concerned. To be fair, I mean, there was a good deal of chatter around Cardinal Prévost, now Papa Prévost, in the run-up to all of this. But of course, you're right. For a long time, the idea was you can never have an American pope because you can't have a superpower pope. But you know, the world has changed in the 21st century. America is no longer the world's lone superpower. And these cardinals don't really care about nationality anymore. He also knows many of these bishops really well. Exactly. Exactly. Because he has worked here at the Office of Bishops. That is a vital point. He has pastoral experience in Peru. And he has worked here at the Vatican. That has surely been very decisive. So the imagery of all those cardinals there, smiling and looking. Well, I can see Cardinal Wuerl there. Wuerl, formerly the Archbishop of Washington. You've got to figure, he's an excited man right now. Oh, I think the American cardinals must just be thrilled. So he has a worldwide sort of point of view. As we said, he did a mission in Peru. He served as the head of the Vatican's very powerful Dicastery for Bishops under Francis for the past two years. What does that mean? What did he do? Well, essentially, the Dicastery for Bishops is responsible for naming bishops all around the world. As I like to say, it is a great way to make friends in the Catholic Church. So he has a lot of friends. He already plays a big role here at the Vatican, no doubt. So he is well known. And I think interestingly, too, he was a math major at Villanova, which is important as the Vatican's finances are in trouble. Oh, he has got quite a number of good things about him. He is also an Augustinian priest. Which means? Which is an order. And we were just saying today is one of their special feast days. Our Lady of Grace. And John and I were saying earlier, well, maybe that's a sign. He also studied here at the Angelicum, a Dominican university. So he has quite a number of boxes ticked in that. John, you described him as someone who could put a positive face on the church. What do you mean? Well, he is considered a man of great dialogue, a man of great openness, a man of great balance. And let me also say that at a personal level, he is just extremely affable. He is a very nice guy, very easy to like. I think the world will see that tonight. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is the next Holy Father. Seth Doan is in the square with some Americans reacting to this news. Seth? Let me tell you, Nora, we were all looking toward that balcony. The crowd, it's like everyone raised two feet as we were starting to hear. And then when we heard the name, people looked around and said, an American Pope, an American Pope. And I looked out of my eye, a corner of my eye, and saw these three Americans saying, is it an American Pope? What are you thinking? Never thought I would have seen the day that there would be an American Pope. Especially now. What do you mean? I'm expecting this. I just didn't, I wasn't expecting it at all. Like, I left work early. I mean, don't tell my boss, but I did. What does it mean to you as Americans to have an American Pope? What do you think it means? What do you hope it means? I mean, it's great. I mean, we're feeling very patriotic. I guess. But, yeah. I think we're still processing. I know. It's still, like, it's so fresh. I mean, I just really hope that, like, this American Pope, he can, you know, keep the train on the tracks rolling that Francesco did, you know, the previous Pope. Keep the church moving in the same direction. That's what I hope. I would. It makes people prouder. If I can summarize it, even, there was a gentleman from Paraguay who was standing next to me. His mouth dropped. He said, an American Pope. That is the feeling here. Surprise, shock, excitement, hope. The mix of emotions continues as their space decreases. The emotions increase. Back to you.

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