Pope Leo appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday after white smoke had billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signifying the 133 cardinal electors had chosen a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church.
"Peace be with you all," he told the cheering crowd, speaking in fluent Italian. He also spoke in Spanish during his brief address but did not say anything in English.
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 rarely speaks in public.
Prevost becomes the 267th Catholic pope, following the death in April of Pope Francis, who was the first Latin American pope and had led the Church for 12 years.
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 LGBTQI Catholics.
Leo thanked Francis in his speech and repeated his predecessor's call for a Church that is engaged with the modern world and "is always looking for peace, charity and being close to people, especially those who are suffering".
He had not been seen as a frontrunner and there was a brief moment of silence when his name was announced to the packed St. Peter's Square, before people started to clap and cheer.
In an interview with the Vatican News outlook in 2023, Prevost said the Church must be transparent and honest in dealing with abuse allegations.
Ahead of the conclave, some cardinals called for continuity with Francis' vision of greater openness and reform, while others said they wanted to turn back the clock and embrace old traditions.
Unlike Francis, who spurned much of the trappings of the papacy from the day he was elected in 2013, Prevost wore a traditional red papal garment over his white cassock.
The last pope to take the name Leo led the Church from 1878-1903. Leo XIII was known for his devoted focus to social justice issues, and is often credited with laying the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching.
Prevost has attracted interest from his peers because of his quiet style and support for Francis, especially his commitment to social justice issues.
Prevost served as a bishop in Chiclayo, in northwestern Peru, from 2015 to 2023.
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.
"Most of us thought a US cardinal would never become pope, but Prevost got strong support from cardinals from Latin America where he worked for 20 years," said Reverend Thomas Reese, a Jesuit commentator who has covered the Vatican for decades.
"He is multilingual and has a reputation as a listener. The Holy Spirit continues to surprise us."
with DPA and AP
