Robert Prevost becomes first American Pope
He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
KATHMANDU: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
The 69-year-old was introduced to the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday, where he delivered his first public address.
In his speech, Pope Leo XIV called for global peace and paid tribute to his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, who passed away in April at the age of 88.
Born in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV holds dual citizenship in the United States and Peru. He spent much of his life as a missionary in Latin America and served as a bishop in Peru.
Before his election, he led a powerful Vatican office overseeing the appointment of bishops—a role that placed him at the heart of the Church’s leadership structure.
Global leaders have welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s election with messages of congratulations and commitments to work together on major international issues. U.S. President Donald Trump, reacting to the election, called it “a great honor for the nation” that an American now leads the global Catholic community.
The news comes just days after Trump sparked controversy by sharing an AI-generated image of himself depicted as pope on social media, a move that drew criticism from Catholic communities worldwide.
Pope Leo XIV now assumes leadership of over 1.3 billion Catholics across the globe at a time of both spiritual reflection and complex global challenges.
