Victor EzejaA new head of the Catholic Church has been elected.
The 133 Cardinal electors, who gathered in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel have elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, from the United States, as the 267th Pope. The new Pope took the name Pope Leo XIV.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelCardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti, who made the announcement from the Vatican balcony, said: “I announce to you a great joy; we have a Pope: The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord, Lord Robert Francis Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Prevost who has taken the name Leo XIV.”
The first American pontiff thereafter appeared on the Vatican balcony and was greeted by a huge crowd. Prevost, 69, said: “May peace be with all of you.”
The pope was elected on day two of the conclave which began on Wednesday, 7 May 2025. The conclave for the election of the 267th pontiff commenced with a Holy Mass at St. Peter’s Square where cardinals and thousands of faithful gathered and prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide the cardinal electors to elect a pope that would lead the over 1.4 billion Catholics, and attend to the needs of the church and humanity.
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While his predecessor, Pope Francis I, hailed from Argentina in South America, Prevost is from the United States in North American continent. Prevost was born in Chicago on 14 September 1955 to the family of Louis Marius Prevost of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martinez of Spanish descent.
He is the first pope from the Augustinian order, a religious order that follows the precepts of Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Prevost, who was ordained a priest on 19 June 1982, is according to a BBC report, considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru, before becoming an archbishop there.
The 69-year-old Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo, Peru, was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023 after being named prefect of the dicastery, one of the Vatican’s most important departments — and a post that introduced him to all key players in the Church.
Vatican watchers had given Prevost the highest chances among the group of US cardinals of being pope, given his pastoral bent, global view and ability to navigate the central bureaucracy.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
