Cardinal Robert Prevost is the new Pope. He made his first appearance on Thursday evening from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel.
He succeeds Pope Francis who passed away recently. He took the name of Leo XIV. He is the first American pope and tens of thousands of people who gathered at St. Peter’s Square erupted into cheers. Some applauded and some wept as the new pontiff offered his first blessing.
He was born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco -Italian descent. He is 69 years old. He served as an altar boy and was ordained as a priest in 1982. He moved to Peru but returned to the US and is fondly remembered as a person who worked with marginalised communities.He became archbishop in January 2023 and within a few months, Pope Francis made him a cardinal.
