Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has become the new Pope Leo XIV. The cardinals elected him after a series of unsuccessful votes. Thus, he became the first American Pope in history, reports UNN. correspondent.
Details
Robert Pervo was born on September 14, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. In 1977, he entered the novitiate of the Order of St. Augustine in the Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel, in St. Louis. On August 29, 1981, he made his solemn vows. He studied at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago, graduating in Theology.
With considerable leadership skills, Prevost spent much of his career as a missionary in South America. He recently headed the influential Vatican office for the appointment of bishops. The new Pope is expected to continue the policies of Pope Francis, although there is hope from more conservative Catholic circles that he will adhere more closely to the dogmatic norms of the Catholic Church.
Prevost worked for ten years in Trujillo, Peru, and was later appointed bishop of Chiclayo, another Peruvian city, where he served from 2014 to 2023.
On January 30, 2023, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Prevost Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and Chairman of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
In an interview with Vatican News shortly after becoming head of the Dicastery for Bishops, Prevost said: "I still consider myself a missionary. My vocation, like every Christian's vocation, is to be a missionary, to proclaim the Gospel wherever you are."
Addendum
In the Vatican, believers in St. Peter's Square saw white smoke over the Sistine Chapel. The third attempt by the cardinals today to elect a new Pope was successful.
Earlier, there were three unsuccessful attempts to elect a Pope - one on the first day of the conclave on May 7 and two on the second day. In total, three times the believers who gathered in St. Peter's Square saw black smoke over the Sistine Chapel three times.
It is worth noting that these are the third consecutive papal elections in which the head of the Catholic Church was elected on the second day. Popes Benedict XVI and Francis were also elected on the second day of the conclave.