The conclave gathered in the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, May 8, to elect the new head of the Catholic Church after the passing of Pope Francis.

After four rounds of voting, the anticipated white smoke rose from the Vatican chimney around 1 p.m. Argentina time, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Church history. 

At about 2:20 p.m., French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti announced that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago and a Peruvian national, had been chosen as the new pope under the name Leo XIV.

Minutes later, Prevost stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the thousands of faithful gathered in the square. 

Prevost, 69, was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, the son of Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, an Ecuadorian of Spanish heritage. He is the second Latin American pope after Francis, with a life path deeply connected to Latin America, particularly Peru, where he lived for 18 years. 

His academic background includes a degree in Mathematical Sciences from Villanova University, a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, as well as a licentiate and doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. 

In 1985, he arrived in Peru as an Augustinian missionary, later directing the Augustinian Seminary in Trujillo for a decade. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Chiclayo, and in 2023, he became Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. That same year, he was elevated to the rank of cardinal. 

The stance of Leo XIV and the legacy of Francis

According to The College of Cardinals Report, Leo XIV shares Pope Francis’s vision on issues such as environmental protection, the fight against poverty, and the defense of migrants.

He also supported pastoral changes allowing divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion, though his stance on blessings for same-sex couples remains ambiguous. 

In his first message as pontiff, he expressed gratitude to Francis and, in Spanish, offered a special greeting to the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where he left a lasting mark. 

Of the 135 cardinal electors, 133 took part in the conclave. Data show that Pope Francis appointed 81% of them, shaping the direction of the vote. With his election, Leo XIV now emerges as a key figure in shaping the future of the Vatican and the Catholic Church in a rapidly changing world.