The new Pope is Robert Prevost – the first American pope.
He was being expected to appear on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square, as of 6.15pm Nigeria time when the announcement of his identity was made.
Crowds below, about 40,000 persons, erupted into cheers in St Peter’s Square.
The new Pope took the title of Pope Leo XIV.
Born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955, he is a Peruvian-American Catholic prelate who has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 8 May 2025.
He served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since 2023.
He previously served as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023, and was prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013.
In 2015 Cardinal Prevost became a naturalized citizen of Peru as confirmed by Peru’s National Civil Registry.
On May 8, 2025, he was elected Pope, choosing the papal name Leo XIV, becoming the first Pope born in the United States, and the first from North America as a whole.
