Image credit: Guglielmo Mangiapane, REUTERS.
(Vatican City) — Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost Is New Pope, He has taken the name Pope Leo the 14th, and is the first American Pope in the two-thousand-year history of the Catholic Church.
White smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel around 6pm Vatican City time, as deafening cheers and bells echoed with tens of thousands of people packed in St. Peter’s Square to celebrate. The 69-year-old was formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago. His first words were “Peace be with you,” while appearing as Pope on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Raised in south suburban Dolton, he has served as the head of the Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the selection of bishops worldwide, and served in Peru for twenty years.
Bells rang at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, and the Empire State Building was lit up in white and gold to honor the new pontiff.
