Reaction to election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as pope
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History was made at the Vatican on Thursday as Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago was elected the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, becoming the first American to hold the papacy. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV's first address: Full text

Robert Prevost was elected to be the Catholic Church's new pope on Thursday. His first comments as Pope Leo XIV lasted for a few minutes; here's the full text of those remarks.

Robert Prevost becomes 1st American to be Pope: Here's why there are few non-European pontiffs

Robert Prevost's election as the new pope marks the first time a person from the United States was selected as the head of the Roman Catholic faith. Here's what to know about where previous popes came from, and why an American pontiff was considered to be unlikely, until now.

List: Countries with the most, fewest popes

Which countries have produced the most, and the fewest, popes? A historic first from the U.S. just reshaped the centuries-old list.

What is an Augustinian?

There were six popes who were part of the St. Augustine order before Pope Leo XIV, according to America, a Jesuit magazine.

First American pope: The world reacts

The notion of an American pope has long been frowned upon, but Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, had prominence that few other cardinals have.

Who is Cardinal Robert Prevost? Leo XIV is first American pope

The College of Cardinals elected Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago to become the next leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. He'll take the name Pope Leo XIV.

Trump congrats Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost on becoming first American pope

President Donald Trump took to social media Thursday to congratulate Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who will become the first American pope to lead the Catholic Church in its 2,000-year history.

New pope elected: First American pope greets crowd
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The papal conclave has ended with white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel, signaling the election of a new pope. Cardinal Robert Prevost has been named the bishop of Rome and will take the name Pope Leo the XIV. He was elected during the third round of voting among the College of Cardinals. Pope Leo greeted the crowd on Thursday afternoon, his face painted with obvious emotion as he spoke to millions of people across the world.

New pope announced: Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV
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The College of Cardinals elected Cardinal Robert Prevost to become the next leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. He'll take the name Pope Leo XIV. The news came just over an hour after white smoke finally billowed from the Sistine Chapel late Thursday afternoon, signaling to the world that the papal conclave had chosen a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month. The papal conclave began Wednesday afternoon and lasted 25 hours, 37 minutes and 58 seconds.

New pope elected: White smoke billows from Sistine Chapel
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Habemus Papam: "We have a pope." White smoke finally billowed from the Sistine Chapel on Thursday afternoon, signaling to the world that the papal conclave has chosen a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, who died last month. The College of Cardinals is expected to shortly reveal the name of the person who will become the next leader of the worldwide Catholic Church and he'll make his first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter's. The election came one day after the papal conclave began on May 7.

‘Sistine seagull’ steals spotlight during papal conclave — again

A lone seagull perched near the Sistine Chapel chimney became the unexpected star of the papal conclave livestream — reviving a viral tradition as the world waits for news of the next pope.

LIVE l How to watch the Vatican during papal conclave: 24/7 cam

The College of Cardinals began the secretive voting process of choosing a new pope on Wednesday -- and FOX 5 NY will have a 24/7 LIVE look at the Sistine Chapel.

How do religions choose their leaders? What to know as Catholics prepare for next pope

From conclaves to reincarnation, religious traditions around the world follow different rules when selecting new spiritual leaders. Here’s how major religions make their choices.

The pope’s regnal name: What it is and why it matters

When a new pope is elected, one of his first decisions is to choose a regnal name — a symbolic gesture that reveals spiritual inspiration, political intent, and historical legacy.

White smoke vs. black smoke: What it means for the pope

Following Pope Francis’ death, the Vatican begins the conclave to elect a new pope, with smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel marking the votes.