Cardinal Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV

Nearly half a century has passed since the Catholic Church last had an Italian Pope.

- BY REX CLEMENTINE

In the hallowed corridors of the Vatican, as the Conclave began deliberations to elect a successor to Pope Francis, several Italian names were whispered with increasing frequency. Chief among them was Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, a seasoned diplomat, and well-known among the electors. Others, like Cardinals Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Matteo Zuppi, also had their share of admirers.

Yet, when the white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel, it was not an Italian who emerged. Instead, the Cardinals turned to an unheralded American Robert Francis Prevost, a canon law professor and lifelong missionary - electing him as successor to St. Peter. He has taken the name Pope Leo XIV.