'Father Bob'.. to Pope Leo

AS the white smoke drifted over St Peter's square, cheers of joy rose from tens of thousands of people.

- BY ANDY LINES Chief Reporter in Vatican City

One nun openly wept, strangers hugged each other, a woman near me held up her three-year-old daughter and shouted joyfully in Italian.

I asked what she said and she replied: "This is history. Never forget it."

An hour later, she and the rest of the world realised just how historic it would be a Pope from the United States.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV, emerged on to the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to gasps of disbelief.

They soon turned to cheers, then to hushed silence as the 69-year-old - fluent in six languages - said in Italian: "I would like this greeting of peace to reach all your hearts and families... and people around the world. May peace be with you."

The Pope - known to friends as "Father Bob" due to his down-to-Earth nature - thanked the cardinals who elected him during the two-day conclave, adding: "We can all walk together towards that homeland God has prepared for us. A special greeting to the Church of Rome."