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First American Pope in History Announced

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  May 08, 2025 1:17 PM

The papal conclave appointed a new pope on Thursday. 

Cardinal Robert Prevost is the new leader of the Catholic Church. There are 1.4 billion Catholics in the world. The pope is considered the apostolic successor to St. Peter, the first head of the church, who was selected by Jesus. 

White smoke appeared above the Sistine Chapel around 6 p.m. in Italy, signaling that the pope had been chosen. 

The first American pope, who has taken the name Leo XIV, greeted the crowd outside the Vatican from the balcony shortly after.

The conclave began on Wednesday. This was held in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. There were 133 cardinals involved in the conclave to select the new pope.

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This came after Pope Francis died at age 88 on April 21. He led the church from 2013 up to his death. 

US Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, visited the pontiff right before he passed.

Since St. Peter, there have been over 260 popes. The vast majority of popes serve until they pass away, with a few exceptions. Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013, leading to a papal conclave that selected Pope Francis.