ROME – Amidst a standing ovation, tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square joyfully welcomed the new pope: Robert Prevost, the first pontiff from the United States, who adopted the name Leo XIV. At 1:08 PM, the white smoke had finally emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, after a day of waiting, announcing the election of the new pope, the 267th in history and successor to Francis. At that moment, the six imposing bells of St. Peter’s Basilica rang out in a sign of jubilation.
An hour after the white smoke -just like in 2013-, the protodeacon cardinal, the Corsican-French Dominique Mamberti, emerged onto the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, known as the ‘loggia’, to deliver the traditional announcement in Latin: ‘Habemus Papam’, followed by the name of the chosen one and the name he will adopt as pontiff, all in Latin. Prevost, a 69-year-old missionary who dedicated his career to serving in Peru and leads the powerful bishops’ office of the Vatican, came out moments later to that same balcony to convey his first message.
The American pope recalled, in Italian, that he was an Augustinian priest, but above all, he was a Christian and a bishop, «so that we may all walk together.»Prevost, who also holds Peruvian nationality, briefly spoke in Spanish to send a message to his diocese: «If you allow me a word, a greeting (…) especially to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop and shared their faith.»His Argentine predecessor, Jorge Bergoglio, surprised the world on March 13, 2013, when, at the age of 76, he appeared on the balcony with an informal, «Dear sisters and brothers, buonasera,» but what left a historic mark was his decision to adopt the name Francis. In honor of the patron saint of Italy and Assisi, who, in the Middle Ages, renounced his wealth to dedicate himself to the poor, he celebrated the beauty of nature and felt called to rebuild the Church.
The new pope, following tradition, passed through the sacristy of the Sistine Chapel, known as the ‘room of tears’ due to the many pontiffs who, moved, have broken down in tears there upon becoming aware of the gigantic responsibility that comes with leading a Church of more than 1.4 billion faithful.In that space, besides being able to let out their emotions, the new pope found three white papal robes of different sizes, to choose the one that best fits his figure. When he reappeared dressed as pope in the Sistine Chapel, his fellow cardinals paid tribute to him, one by one, marking the beginning of a new, undoubtedly fascinating, chapter in the history of the Church.
Papal vestments of three different sizes hang in the ‘Room of Tears,’ a chamber next to the Sistine Chapel where the new pope gets dressed before appearing on the balcony, in the Vatican, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Vatican Media