Robert Prevost becomes first American pope and will be known as Pope Leo XIV

VATICAN CITY – The new pope is Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV – the first American pontiff to be elected leader of the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV emerged onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica as a packed St Peter’s Square erupted in cheers and applause.

“Peace be with you” were Pope Leo’s first words as he addressed a crowd of thousands.

Chicago-born Prevost is seen as a reformer and worked for many years as a missionary in Peru before being made an archbishop there.

There had been talk that cardinals felt the new pope would need to be someone who would take forward Pope Francis’s legacy of reaching out to those on the margins.

They also wanted someone who could also bring along with him a wide spectrum of those within the Church, including those Pope Francis was sometimes at loggerheads with.

Going into conclave, Cardinal Robert Prevost was thought of by observers as a candidate who could fulfil that role – someone who could be a bridge between different worlds.

The fact the conclave came to a decision in just four rounds of voting suggests the cardinals agreed with that assessment.