Rome (Italy) - The Catholic Church has a new pope : an American! After just 24 hours, the 133 cardinals of the conclave unexpectedly elected Robert F. Prevost (69) as the successor to the late Pope Francis (†88). Shortly after 6 p.m., cheers erupted in Rome as white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel. The 267th Pope of the Catholic Church chooses the name Leo XIV.

"Peace be with you all!" With these words, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV greeted tens of thousands of believers in St. Peter's Square and the surrounding streets, as well as 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, to thunderous applause shortly before 7.30 pm.

The election of Robert F. Prevost can be seen as a compromise - and at the same time as a signal of unity. Prevost combines an American background, Latin American influence (he speaks fluent Spanish) and Roman leadership experience.

This made him the consensus candidate of a College of Cardinals that had to overcome cultural and church-political differences.

Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents with French-Spanish-Italian roots, Prevost initially studied mathematics before joining the Augustinian order in 1977. He was ordained a priest in Rome in 1982. He later completed a doctorate in canon law there.

From the mid-1980s, Prevost worked as a missionary in Peru. There he founded parishes, directed a seminary and was active in the training of bishops.

In 2015, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Chiclayo, a diocese in the north of the country. During the political crises, he campaigned for stability.

In 2023, he was promoted to head the powerful Dicastery for Bishops - the Vatican authority that selects bishops worldwide. The cardinal's hat followed in the same year - and today, Thursday, the pope's crosier.

Prevost stands for continuity in the spirit of Francis. He is seen as someone who listens, mediates and wants change without polarizing. In his first words in Italian, Spanish and Latin, he tried to convey confidence: "Evil will not prevail."

In an initial reaction, US President Donald Trump (78) spoke of a "great honour" and congratulated his compatriot: "It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope."