VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinal Robert Prevost has taken the name Leo XIV. He is the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.
As a missionary, Prevost, 69, spent his career ministering in Peru and led the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops.
White smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney Thursday at 6:07 p.m. local time, signaling that a pontiff had been elected to lead the Catholic Church.
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Cathedral bells ring out in Lima, Peru
Prevost’s election as pope is swelling the pride of Peruvians.
“For us Peruvians, it is a source of pride that this is a pope who represents our country,” said elementary school teacher Isabel Panez, who happened to be near the cathedral in Peru’s capital when the news was announced. “We would like him to visit us here in Peru.”
Trump congratulates new pope
The U.S. president posted his reaction on his Truth Social social media platform.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
New pope led order dedicated to the poor and service
The new pope was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, formed in the 13th century as a community of “mendicant” friars dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization.
The order’s requirements and ethos are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity.
The order works in about 50 countries, according to its website, promoting a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others.
Pope Leo XIV’s first message: Peace and dialogue ‘without fear’
In his first words, Pope Leo XIV, history’s first American pope Robert Prevost, said “Peace be with you.”
From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, he recalled that he was an Augustinian priest, but a Christian above all, and a bishop, “so we can all walk together.”
He spoke in Italian and then switched to Spanish, recalling his many years spent as a missionary and then archbishop of Chiclayo, Peru.
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