The American Robert Prevost has been announced as Pope Leo XIV in front of a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square.
Vatican City erupted into cheers yesterday at the site of white smoke in the early evening.
Pope Leo XIV was elected after a two-day conclave, and he makes history as the first pontiff from the United States.
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But who is the new leader of the Catholic Church, and what can he be expected to bring to the papacy?
Vatican correspondent for global Catholic TV network ETWN Colm Flynn said Pope Leo XIV appears to be prioritising unity within the Church.
“A bit like in society, with the culture wars or whatever way you want to put it, within the Catholic Church – especially during Pope Francis’ papacy, we saw this divide; the progressive left and the conservatives,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.
“Many [conservative Catholics] felt alienated in Pope Francis’ pontificate, and what was so fascinating was when Pope Leo came to the balcony, he re-emphasised so many of those priorities of Pope Francis’s pontificate.
“He talked about peace, about being there with the migrants, he mentioned the environment - so he was speaking to that side of the Church.
“But look what he was wearing, because Pope Francis, when he came out, he refused to wear the elaborate, traditional papal clothing, he wanted to wear something simple and white.
“But Pope Leo went back and he actually was wearing the elaborate, red, more traditional papal attire, which I think was a message to the more traditional side of the Catholic Church.”
According to Mr Flynn, the papal election has unified people across the globe in a ceremony that is “rich in tradition, beauty and culture”.
Main image: The new pontiff appears on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica: Pope Leo XIV, American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, successor to Pope Francis. Credit: Independent Photo Agency/Alamy Live News. 09th May, 202
