Pope Leo XIV An American leader with peace on his mind

Robert Francis Prevost - who has chosen the papal name Leo XIV - may not be the Latin American Jesuit wildcard his predecessor, Pope Francis, was, but his election is similarly historic.

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In the figure of the 69-year-old former head of the Augustinian order, the Roman Catholic church has its very first US leader. Until last Thursday evening, the idea of the fisherman's ring being slipped on to a North American hand was seen as a fairly distant possibility. The Vatican's longstanding opposition to a US pope stemmed largely from the optics of having a pontiff from a political superpower and a country with such a hegemonic cultural and secular global influence.

But all that changed after a short conclave that chose a man who had been a cardinal for little more than two years. While his appointment is likely to be welcomed by progressive factions within the church, it was probably not the news some of his more conservative, Trump-aligned US brother cardinals had been hoping for.

In his first Sunday address at the Vatican, the new pontiff urged an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza and the release of all hostages.

He also welcomed the truce between India and Pakistan and referenced the end of the second world war in Europe.

Appearing at a window of the Apostolic Palace, Leo blessed tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter's Square and echoed pleas for peace by his predecessor, Pope Francis. "I, too, address the world's great powers by repeating the ever-present call, 'never again war'," he said.

Vatican observers seeking clues to the direction and style of his papacy noted he delivered the blessing not from a studio window used by his predecessors, but from the central balcony. He wore a simple white cassock without the formal red cape.