Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been named the first U.S. pope, selected Thursday by 133 cardinals from across the globe on the second day of the papal conclave in Rome.
The new pontiff, who will go by the name Leo XIV, greeted the thousands who jammed St. Peter's Square from the red velvet-draped central balcony at St. Peter's Square.
Just an hour earlier, the crowd, many of whom have stood watch for hours with eyes on the Sistine Chapel chimneys, erupted in cheers as white smoke poured into the sky and bells tolled across the plaza, signaling the new leader of the church's 1.4 billion members.
His election came on the second day of the conclave that drew cardinals from 70 nations. The new pope, after the election, must decide if he wants to fill the role and if so, choose a name. He dons papal vestments in a chamber in the chapel known as the Room of Tears - named for the emotional reactions of popes who realize their new responsibilities.
Then the pope is taken to the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, where a senior cardinal announces "Habemus Papam," the Latin term for "We have a pope" to the waiting crowd.
The pope then addresses the crowd, blessing them, the city and the world.
The cardinals spent the morning shut off from the world, inside the historic chapel adorned with frescoes from Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists. They prayed for guidance and conducted two secretive votes, trying to determine new leadership for the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.
The electors returned to their living quarters, Casa Santa Marta, for lunch and reconvened late Thursday afternoon.
There isn't a set schedule for when the new pope will be introduced, following the eagerly anticipated white smoke. However, past conclaves help clue us in.
In 2013, Pope Francis was introduced a little over an hour after white smoke plumed from the chapel chimney, per previous reporting by The Daily Telegraph. In that hour, the elected cardinal chose his papal name. About 20 minutes after his name was announced as the new pontiff, Francis appeared on the Sistine Chapel balcony, greeting the world as pope for the first time.
The Italian news agency ANSA reported that foods that could be used to get messages into the papal conclave such as asparagus, ravioli and whole chicken are off the menu. It includes little wine and dessert only on Sundays, ANSA said.
Italian nutritionist Giorgio Calabrese, who prepared the suggested menu for the cardinals, said it is specifically designed specifically to provide the necessary energy for the sedentary life they could be living for several days. Calabrese told the Catholic News Agency' that at breakfast the cardinals need the immediate energy of simple carbohydrates − sweet breakfast, with "partially skimmed milk and toast with jam or honey" instead of bacon and eggs, he said. His suggested lunch menu was light pasta or risotto, white meat or grilled fish and steamed or grilled vegetables.
Dinner should be cooked ham, lean beef, smoked salmon, bluefish, tuna or sardines and fresh cheeses. Calabrese said cardinals who desire wine should drink "only a glass."
Over 350 miles from the conclave in Rome, Maria Tadini is focused on the small television in her modest home in the northern Italy town of Castel Liteggio. Tadini will soon learn whether her son, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, will become the next pope. Pizzaballa is one of a half dozen or more cardinals considered strong candidates.
"Here he is! There he is! Hello, my joy," she says when Pizzaballa appears on the screen with other cardinals entering the Sistine Chapel. "Pierbattista, come home!"
Pizzaballa, 60, has served the church in Jerusalem since 1990. He drew global notice after the Hamas attack on southern Israel in 2023 when he offered himself as a hostage in exchange for the release of chidren taken by the militants.
Tadini, who will turn 90 next month, says she has visited her son in Jerusalem three times.
"If he has to (go to Rome), it's fine, but it's also fine if he goes back to Jerusalem," Tadini told the Italian media outlet Corriere della Sera. "He spent many years there and did well. I wouldn't mind. If he stays in Rome, it's another task, but in the Holy Land he has always done his duty."
Thousands of tourists, pilgrims and just interested Romans gathered in St Peter's Square for a second day Thursday. They hoped to see white smoke emerge from the chimney, signaling a successor to Francis, who died April 21, had been selected. The smoke, just like Wednesday evening, was black, meaning no candidate has received the necessary two-thirds majority.
Tom Barbitta, from North Carolina, is vacationing in Italy with his wife, Susan, and came to the square to see the smoke.
"Francis was a great guy, down to earth, humble," Barbitta told Reuters. "I hope they will choose someone just like him."
Many people in the square had scheduled their visits to Rome well before Pope Francis died or the conclave had been scheduled.
"Being here during this conclave is a miracle," Linda Perotti from Colorado, told the Associated Press. "I truly believe that the pope that they vote in will be a healer, will bring unity to this world."
There are more than 250 cardinals, but only those under age 80 are "electors" who can participate in the conclave. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, is 91 years old and thus has not been locked up in the Sistene Chapel with his colleagues. Re was in Pompeii on Thursday but said he planned on returning to Rome.
"I hope that this evening when I return to Rome I will already find the white smoke," Re told Corriere della Sera. Re said that whoever is elected pope "first of all must try to strengthen faith in God in this world of ours characterized by technological progress."
Re said "forgetting God" has become prevalent and there is a "need for an awakening."
The second day of the conclave came after the first vote Wednesday failed to name a successor to Francis Darkness had already fallen over Rome on Wednesday when black smoke rose from the chimney of the iconic Sistine Chapel, watched by thousands in a packed St. Peter's Square.
Some traditions are timeless − black smoke from the chimney after a vote means no candidate has received the necessary votes. White smoke means a new pope has been elected.
And the ban on communicating with outsiders, which dates to medieval times, remains. Nowadays, however, the Vatican has taken high-tech measures to ensure secrecy. No cellphones are allowed, and the technology sweep of the chapel takes place to ensure there are no recording devices. Jamming devices are also used.
Some of the cardinals frequently mentioned as candidates to succeed Francis include non-Italians Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, of the Philippines, a liberal sometimes referred to as "Francis 2," France's Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille, and Peter Erdo, 72, of Hungary, who is considered a favorite among the more conservative cardinals.
There have been 266 popes, and 217 of the have been Italian. Italy has strong contenders this time, too, including cardinals Pietro Parolin, 70, the Vatican Secretary of State who is considered a moderate, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 60, the patriarch of Jerusalem who once offered to become a hostage of Hamas in return for the release of children, and Matteo Zuppi, 69, a close associate of Francis.
There are more than 250 cardinals, but they must be younger than 80 to serve as electors. Still, a record 133 cardinals from 70 countries are casting votes, up from 115 from 48 nations for the 2013 conclave that elected Francis. The increase in cardinals is a function of Francis' efforts to expand the reach of the