Nigeria, May 9 -- Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has been elected as the new pope for the Catholic Church.

The announcement was made shortly after 5:00 p.m. (UK time) on Thursday, May 8, when white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel.

The newly elected pope, now known as Pope Leo XIV, is 69 years old and originally from Chicago, Illinois.

He is the first American to hold the papacy in the Church's 2,000-year history.

The election followed Pope Francis's death on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. On May 7, a conclave of 133 cardinals convened at the Vatican to begin the secretive process of selecting a new pope. All communication devices were surrendered, and the Sistine Chapel was secured against surveillance.

On...