The papal conclave appointed a new pope on Thursday.
Cardinal Robert Prevost is the new leader of the Catholic Church. There are 1.4 billion Catholics in the world. The pope is considered the apostolic successor to St. Peter, the first head of the church, who was appointed by Jesus.
White smoke appeared above the Sistine Chapel around 6 p.m. in Italy, signaling that the pope had been chosen.
The first American pope, who has taken the name Leo XIV, greeted the crowd outside the Vatican from the balcony shortly after.
🚨BREAKING NEWS: Cardinal Robert F. Prevost elected pope!
This is the first American pope in history! pic.twitter.com/Lrx8KL5Gjl
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 8, 2025
White smoke! The 133 Cardinal electors gathered in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel have elected the new Pope. He will appear soon at the central window of St. Peter’s Basilica. pic.twitter.com/XejI7mY43m
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 8, 2025
The conclave began on Wednesday. This was held in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. There were 133 cardinals involved in the conclave to select the new pope.
This came after Pope Francis died at age 88 on April 21. He led the church from 2013 up to his death.
US Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, visited the pontiff right before he passed.
Pope Francis met briefly with U.S. Vice President @JDVance on Easter Sunday. The private audience lasted a few minutes. They exchanged Easter greetings, and the pope gave Vance a Vatican tie, rosaries and a set of three large chocolate Easter eggs for his kids. pic.twitter.com/v48BsukaDQ
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) April 20, 2025
Since St. Peter, there have been over 260 popes. The vast majority of popes serve until they pass away, with a few exceptions. Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013, leading to a papal conclave that selected Pope Francis.
