Pope Leo appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after white smoke billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signifying the 133 cardinal electors had chosen him as a successor to Francis, who died last month.
Prevost, 69 and originally from Chicago, has spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru and has dual Peruvian nationality. He became a cardinal only in 2023. He has given few media interviews and is known to have a shy personality.
However, the new pope has a history of criticizing Trump and Vice President JD Vance's policies, according to posts on the X account of Robert Prevost.
“The international upheaval of the rhetoric of the Trump presidency, paradoxically, made possible the impossible,“ said Faggioli, a professor at Villanova University in the US
PRAISE FROM PERU
“His closeness to those most in need left an indelible mark on the hearts of Peru,“ her office said in a post on X.
Francis had widely sought to open the staid institution up to the modern world, enacting a range of reforms and allowing debate on divisive issues such as women's ordination and better inclusion of LGBT Catholics.
He had not been seen as a frontrunner and there was a brief moment of uncertainty when his name was announced to the packed St. Peter's Square, before people started to clap and cheer.
“I hope America does not embarrass the pope,“ she said.
SNAP, a US-based advocacy group for victims of clerical sex abuse, expressed “grave concern” about his election, renewing accusations that Prevost failed to take action against suspected predatory priests in the past in Chicago and in Peru.
In an interview with the Vatican News website in 2023, Prevost said the Church must be transparent and honest in dealing with abuse allegations.
A crowd of clergy and staff members at Chicago's Catholic Theological Union erupted in a joyful cheer as Pope Leo walked out onto the Vatican balcony, some four decades after he graduated from the South Side school.
Pope Leo graduated from the school in 1982 with a master's degree. Reid called Leo intellectually brilliant, saying he has an extraordinarily compassionate heart.
THE NAME LEO
Prevost has attracted interest from his peers because of his quiet style and support for Francis, especially his commitment to social justice issues.
Francis brought him to Rome that year to head the Vatican office in charge of choosing which priests should serve as Catholic bishops across the globe, meaning he has had a hand in selecting many of the world's bishops.
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