The world saw white smoke on May 8, and they also met a new pope in U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV. It’s quite a big moment, because this marks the first time a U.S. cardinal has ever been named pope.
Cardinal Robert Prevost was born in Chicago and is also a citizen of Peru, where he worked for years. Prevost was also the head of the church’s Dicastery for Bishops, so he had a major role in the selection of new bishops.
According to CBS News, Prevost is considered a centrist, “but on many social issues he’s seen as progressive, embracing marginalized groups like Francis, who championed migrants and the poor.” However, he “opposes ordaining women as deacons, for instance, so he’s seen as conservative on church doctrine,” according to CBS News.
Prevost walked out from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8 and addressed the public for the first time. His first public message was just five words: “Peace be with all you.”
In his speech from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo XIV also said the church can still hear “the weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis,” so he paid tribute to his predecessor.
He was elected pope by the world’s cardinals on the second day of the conclave. The Catholic church hasn’t had a Pope Leo in more than a century. The previous Pope Leo was Leo XIII, who was born in French-occupied Rome in 1810. He was pope from 1878 until his death in 1903.
Leo XIII is known for being a pope of Catholic social teaching. He wrote an open letter in 1891 discussing the technological changes that were taking place due to the Industrial Revolution. Prevost choosing the use the Leo XIV will likely signal some of the priorities for his papacy.
Related: Pope Francis Approves a First for the Catholic Church
