The Catholic Church Has Elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope

Prevost, who will take the name Leo XIV, was elected as the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Andrew Medichini/AP
Share
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Andrew Medichini/AP
The Catholic Church Has Elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope
Copy

Live video feed from the Associated Press.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and led the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV.

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.

Read more updated news on the Associated Press.

Artist Heidi Whitman channels Moby-Dick to explore vengeance, gun violence and modern American unrest
The school committee ordered an investigation after four students were arrested late last year
The newly elected party chair outlines his strategy for expanding state GOP ranks and weighs in on energy costs, immigration enforcement and election integrity
For $10, the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ cats will quite literally do their business on a pink paper heart bearing your chosen name
A new report details how the state aims to build an AI-ready workforce, modernize government, and stay competitive
Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima hang in the balance