Dhaka, May 10 -- Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago-born cleric, has been elected as the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, making history as the first American to ascend to the papacy in its over 2,000-year existence.

Taking the name Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected pope made his first public appearance from the roofed loggia of St Peter's Basilica, offering the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing and beginning his address with the words, "Peace be with all of you."

The announcement came on Thursday evening, shortly after white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at 6:07 p.m. (16:07 GMT), signalling that the conclave of cardinals had successfully elected a new pope. The jubilant crowds gathered in St Peter's Squa...