American Robert Francis Prevost has been announced as the new pope.He is the first American to lead the Catholic Church.White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel Thursday evening, notifying the thousands of Catholics at the Vatican and tens of millions more watching from around the world that the 133 cardinals had reached a decision.Prevost was chosen on the second day of voting after none of the candidates managed to obtain the two-thirds majority necessary in the first round of voting.He will be known as Leo XIV.Prevost was born in Chicago, and worked with the Augustinians before heading down to Peru as a missionary. In 2023, he was made a cardinal and appointed by Pope Francis to lead the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.He has French and Italian ancestry, and is fluent in both Italian and Spanish..UPDATED: Pope Francis dead at 88 .The previous pope, Francis, passed away due to a stroke and irreversible heart failure on Easter Monday two months after being diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.He was 88 years old..President Donald Trump congratulated the new pope in a post on Truth Social.."Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope," Trump wrote. "It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"More to come...
