Pope Leo XIV stepped onto a balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Sq. in Vatican Metropolis on Thursday, concurrently moving into his new position as chief of the Roman Catholic Church.
Crowds within the sq. and all over the world rejoiced moments earlier when white smoke billowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel shortly after 6 p.m., signaling that the cardinals inside had elected a brand new pontiff.
Dressed within the white and purple vestments of his new workplace, Leo XIV, shed the uniform of a cardinal and the identify, Robert Francis Prevost, he used for 69 years. Initially from Chicago, he turns into the primary American pope.
The conclave to pick Pope Francis’ successor after his loss of life in April, the primary in 12 years, lasted simply over 24 hours. That continued a recent trend of relatively brief conclaves, even if this was the biggest ever. Over 130 voting-age cardinals, a lot of whom have been appointed by Francis himself, have been in attendance.
Leo XIV assumes the papacy at an unsure time for the church and its 1.4 billion members, because it confronts questions on whether or not to proceed Francis’ agenda of better reform, or forge a extra conservative path. Leo XIV’s supporters, within the run-up to the conclave, had pitched him as a “dignified middle of the road” candidate.
On Thursday night the crowds stretching from St. Peter’s Square to the Tiber River have been all not less than briefly united in pleasure.
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