America’s Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected 267th Pope, Officially Takes On the Name Leo XIV

• America's Cardinal Robert Prevost (69) has been elected as the new head of the Roman Catholic Church
• The Chicago native, who spent a lot of his time in Peru, has officially taken on the name of Pope Leo XIV
• Cardinal Prevost was elected 24 hours into the Conclave, which was held after the death of Pope Francis

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

The Roman Catholic Church has a new leader.

Cardinal Robert Prevost (69) has been elected as the new head of the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic Church. He will take on the name of Pope Leo XIV.

The new pope, who is the first American to become pope, was elected within 24 hours of the start of Conclave, the age-old process of finding a new successor.

Who is Cardinal Robert Prevost?

Originally from Chicago, Cardinal Prevost serves as the head of the church's Dicastery for Bishops, which means he oversees the selection of new bishops. The new pope spent much of his time serving in Peru and holds nationality in both the United States of America and Peru.

He becomes the second pope in history to come from the Americas, and the first from North America.

Leo XIV becomes the 267th pope

Prevost was elected following the death of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Bergoglio, who took on the name St Francis, passed away on 21 April 2025. Francis passed away at the age of 88, after a short illness.

He was hospitalised on 14 February but was discharged and made public appearances shortly before he passed away. During his last appearance on Easter Sunday, he once again called for peace in the world.

Catholic priest shares his thoughts

While it's too early to say what the new pontiff will be like, many Catholics are impressed by his rich pastoral and missionary work.

Speaking to Briefly News, Father Marek Mlynarczyk, a Catholic priest in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, shared his thoughts about the new pope.

"Looking at all the news about him, it looks like he is a 'Pope of Hope', as we are in the Jubilee year as Pilgrims of Hope currently.

"His rich experience in pastoral work and in leadership in different countries is definitely an advantage in understanding the Church in different corners of the world. So we hope for the best and pray for Pope Leo that God will give him all the gifts needed to take up this not-so-easy task of leading the Church in our time."

Cyril Ramaphosa shares his thoughts on new pope

Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa weighed in on the election of Robert Prevost as the new pope.

The President of South Africa said that the election of Pope Leo XIV was a profound moment for the Catholic Church.

Ramaphosa made the comment after the American cardinal became the 267th leader of the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.

Source: Briefly News