Less than a month after Pope Francis’s death, a new leader of the Catholic Church has been selected.
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On Thursday, white smoke puffed from the chimney just above the Sistine Chapel, signaling the 133 cardinals inside had elected a new pope. The voting process lasted two days.
The new Pope is American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.
The selected Pope needed 2/3 of the majority, which is 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor.
A top cardinal announced the newly selected religious leader, traditionally declaring, “Habemus papam!” (Latin for “We have a pope!”) from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The cardinal then read the winner’s birth name in Latin and revealed the name he has chosen to be called. He will be going by Pope Leo XIV.
Leo XIV is an American missionary who has spent most of his ministry career in Peru. He is also the first American to be elected Pope.
Pope Francis Was the Leader of the Catholic Church For More Than A Decade
Pope Francis was elected in 2013. His papacy began following Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation. He appeared an hour and 20 minutes after the white smoke was released.
He was the first-ever Latin American pontiff.
During his tenure, Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, made several achievements, including making women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia. He also maintained that the Catholic Church should be more sympathetic towards members of the LGBTQ community.
Francis was hospitalized with a complex lung infection. The illness led to the early stages of kidney insufficiency. He had a weeklong battle with bronchitis before the collapsed lung. Weeks after he was admitted, Francis was released from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. He was then able to resume his religious duties not long after.
The religious leader passed away in the early hours of Easter Monday. The Vatican revealed he had a cerebral stroke, and he was placed into a coma, leading to heart failure. The cause of death was confirmed by Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, the head of the Vatican’s health department.