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Cardinal Prevost elected Pope Leo XIV, first US pontiff
Daily FT
|May 09, 2025
CARDINAL Robert Prevost, a little-known missionary from Chicago, was yesterday elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the Catholic Church, becoming the first US pope and taking the name Leo XIV.
Pope Leo appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after white smoke had billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel signifying the 133 cardinal electors had chosen a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church.
"Peace be with you all," he told the cheering crowd, speaking in fluent Italian. He also spoke in Spanish during his brief address but did not say anything in English.
Prevost, 69 and originally from Chicago, has spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru and has dual Peruvian nationality. He became a cardinal only in 2023. He has given few media interviews and rarely speaks in public.
President Donald Trump swiftly congratulated Prevost on becoming the first US 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!"
This story is from the May 09, 2025 edition of Daily FT.
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