Behold, The New Pontiff: First American Pope Takes The Name Leo XIV
Fr Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Amos
In a moment steeped in history and global celebration, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a 69-year-old from the United States, has been elected the 267th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
Emerging from the Sistine Chapel following the secretive conclave, he has chosen the name Pope Leo XIV, succeeding Pope Francis and becoming the spiritual shepherd of more than 1.4 billion Catholics around the world.
At exactly 5:08 p.m., as the white smoke curled skyward from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, a tidal wave of emotion swept through St Peter’s Square.
Pilgrims cheered, waved banners, clutched rosaries, and chanted “Viva il Papa!” Moments later, the Cardinal Protodeacon, Dominique Mamberti, appeared on the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica and delivered the age-old proclamation: “Habemus Papam!”
Born on 14 September 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, Cardinal Prevost is a member of the Order of St Augustine.
Before his election, he served as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. A respected canon lawyer, seasoned pastor, and former Prior General of the Augustinians, he is widely admired for his pastoral sensitivity, administrative skill, and dedication to missionary discipleship.
Pope Francis elevated him to the College of Cardinals in 2023.
His election comes at a time when the Church is called to navigate pressing global and ecclesial challenges from reform and credibility, to migration and the moral complexities of a secular age.
Many observers suggest that Pope Leo XIV may chart a steady course upholding doctrinal integrity while embracing renewal and deeper synodality.
Clad in the traditional white papal cassock, and welcomed by an ocean of pilgrims, Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Urbi et Orbi blessing with calm authority and fatherly warmth.
From the hills of Peru to chapels in Africa, from Holy Cross Cathedral in Benin City to St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, bells rang, choirs sang, and the universal Church rejoiced with hymns, Eucharistic adoration, and thanksgiving Masses.
Pope Leo XIV is the first Augustinian pontiff in centuries, and notably, the first pope from the United States.
His election reflects the increasingly global character of Catholicism and underscores the vital role played by missionary and religious orders in shaping the life and leadership of the Church.
As the bells of St Peter’s continue to echo across Rome and countless faithful lift their hearts in prayer, Pope Leo XIV begins his Petrine ministry bearing the keys of the Kingdom into a new chapter of faith, where the eternal message of the Gospel meets the urgent needs of today’s world.
Fr Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Amos, PhD, is of the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
