By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 9: Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the new pope and has taken the name Pope Leo XIV.
This followed the emergence of white smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney at 6.15pm Vatican time (12.15am MYT) on May 8, the second day of the conclave at the Vatican, which signified that a new pope had been chosen.
Thousands of people who gathered at St Peter’s Square could be seen cheering and celebrating, following which Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti announced the new pope.
“Peace be with all of you!” were the first words of Pope Leo XIV to the crowd gathered at St Peter’s Square.
Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. His election makes him the first pope from the United States.
According to Vatican News, the first Augustinian Pope, Prevost, is the second Roman Pontiff from the Americas after Pope Francis. However, unlike Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 69-year-old Prevost is from the northern part of the American continent, though he spent many years as a missionary in Peru before being elected head of the Augustinians for two consecutive terms.
In 2015, Prevost became a naturalised citizen of Peru and wields dual citizenship. He was made a cardinal by the late Pope Francis on September 30, 2023.
Reuters reported that Prevost is widely recognised for his quiet style and support for Francis’ 12-year papacy, especially his commitment to social justice issues.
Rev Mark Francis, a friend of Prevost since the 1970s, told Reuters, “He was always friendly and warm and remained a voice of common sense and practical concerns for the Church’s outreach to the poor.”
Prevost succeeds Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday on April 21. Following Francis’ passing, 133 cardinals from all over the world convened in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to choose a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
The conclave began on Wednesday (May 7), which ended with black smoke from the chimney as it meant no new pope had been chosen. — DayakDaily
