A NEW ERA

Pope Leo XIV will be the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.4 billion followers

- BY ARYN BAKER

ADDRESSING AN ECSTATIC CROWD GATHERED IN St. Peter’s Square as the newly annointed leader of the Roman Catholic Church, American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost used the world’s most famous pulpit to promote a vision that, of late, has been more wish than reality. “To all people, wherever they are, to all the people of the earth, may peace be with you,” he said, in fluent Italian.

As Pope Leo XIV, he is now tasked with delivering it. Prevost’s appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica was the culmination of a centuries-old election ritual in which selected Cardinals, sworn to secrecy, gathered behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel to pick the man best suited to lead the church through a period of immense change. He succeeds Pope Francis, who died on April 21, and will be expected to continue in the globally beloved leader's path toward a more open, inclusive church that advocates for the poor and the marginalized.

The voting began on Wednesday, May 7, with an inconclusive result. An additional three rounds were held on Thursday before Cardinal Prevost obtained the required two-thirds majority. The fact that the voting took less than two days, on par with the selection of Pope Francis in 2013, shows that the Cardinal-electors were largely united in their choice of a man known for his solid judgment, his sharp insight, and the steady hand needed to lead the church through a tumultuous time.