VATICAN CITY — Robert Prevost is elected the first American pope in history
(12:21 p.m.: Updated with the naming of the new pope)
White smoke is pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, signalling that a pope has been elected to lead the Catholic Church.
That means the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis. The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers. The name will be announced later, when a top cardinal utters the words “Habemus papam!” Latin for “We have a pope!” from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. The cardinal then reads the winner’s birth name in Latin, and reveals the name he has chosen to be called.
The new pope is then expected to make his first public appearance and impart a blessing from the same loggia.
What to know
When will the new pope be announced?: The next pope will appear for the first time from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. There’s no set time for when he will come out but Pope Francis appeared an hour and 20 minutes after white smoke was released.
Cardinals contenders: There are no official candidates for the papacy, but some cardinals are considered “papabile,” or possessing the characteristics necessary to become pope. Some names include Pietro Parolin, who will oversee the conclave, Luis Tagle, dubbed the “Asian Francis,” Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, a conservative cardinal native to the Congo, and Pierbattista Pizzaballa, potentially the first Italian pope in decades.
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