By Editorial,
In a momentous and historic turn for the Catholic Church, American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, has been elected pope, taking the name Leo XIV- (14th).
In his first address in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV-(14TH) paid tribute to the late Pope Francis, urging the crowd to remember his predecessor’s legacy.
The new pontiff is seen by many as someone whose life and ministry mirror that same concern for justice, mission, and reform.
Cardinals took two days to select a new pontiff, matching the timeline from the previous two gatherings and suggesting that a leading candidate quickly impressed his peers during the secretive process.
Francis and Benedict the 14th were both revealed in the evening of the conclave’s second day, while John Paul II, the longest-reigning pope of modern times, was selected on the third day in 1978.
The election marks a significant moment in Church history, as Pope Leo XIV-14th becomes only the second modern-era pontiff from outside Europe, following the landmark election of Pope Francis from Argentina in 2013. Born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, Pope Leo XIV -14th entered the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and was ordained a priest in 1982. He earned advanced degrees in theology and canon law in Rome and dedicated much of his priesthood to missionary and formation work in Peru among others. END.