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.

The state lab spent nearly $400,000 on outside firearms testing after examiner departures and expects to rebuild an in-house toolmarks team by mid-2026
Scientists warn that rising ocean temperatures have pushed northern shrimp to the brink, prompting regulators to extend a decade-long moratorium on a fishery that was once a New England winter staple
Developed to catch health issues emerging in the ‘fourth trimester,’ the van provides daily blood-pressure monitoring, counseling, and community-based follow-up for Rhode Island mothers
The Wilbury Theatre Group’s latest production, “Octet,” explores the many ways technology can damage our lives and relationships
With band members straddling the Seekonk River, the Providence-based Moonlight Ramblers released a single about a driver hoping to get home on a broken bridge