Pope Leo XIV: American Cardinal, Robert Francis Prevost, named new pope – SteinbachOnline.com [Video]

A new pope has been elected following the death of Pope Francis. White smoke began billowing from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signalling the decision by the College of Cardinals.

A large crowd in the thousands erupted into cheers as the words “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”) rang out in St. Peter’s Square, about an hour after the smoke first poured out. The new pope then came out onto the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and greeted the crowd.

First-ever American pope

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, is the first American-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church.

A member of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA), he was ordained to the priesthood in 1982 and spent much of his early ministry in Peru, serving as a parish priest, educator, and diocesan official. Prevost earned advanced degrees in canon …