Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has been elected the 267th pope and will soon step onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

He’ll be known as Pope Leo XIV.

 White smoke rises from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a new pope has been elected at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. Mandatory Credit:Hannah McKay/Reuters via CNN Newsource
 

Prevost, 69, from Chicago, Illinois, is the first ever pope from the United States.

Cardinals took two days to select a new pontiff, matching the timeline from the previous two gatherings and suggesting that Prevost quickly impressed his peers during the secretive process.

Francis and Benedict XVI were both revealed in the evening of the conclave’s second day, while John Paul II, the longest-reigning pope of modern times, was selected on the third day in 1978.

This is a breaking story. More details soon…