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 Rhode Island hockey official was one of just 11 referees selected to call women’s games at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan
The war in Iran, and Neronha’s blockbuster report
State leaders say the deal keeps the Rhode Island hospitals open while the Atlanta-based Centurion Foundation attempts a financial turnaround
New England Aquarium observers documented the rare sightings during an aerial survey over waters south of Rhode Island
URI hoops, Providence hockey and JWU basketball headline a surge of winter titles across the Ocean State
February’s historic blizzard disrupted more than 1,500 blood donations, leaving the center with far less than the seven-day supply required to support local hospitals