Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected as the first American pope.
He is expected to appear on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after being elected as the new Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church.
133 red-robed cardinals from around the world cast their ballots to elect the new pope.
133 red-robed cardinals from around the world cast their ballots to elect the new pope.
During the papal conclave, the cardinals were barred from leaving or having any contact with the outside world as they selected the next leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
The 69th year old Prevost had been talked about as among the papabili cardinals thought qualified for the papacy — and as someone who could defend and further Francis’s legacy.
But he was not a globally-recognised figure among the Catholic rank and file.
World leaders raced to welcome his election as the 267th pope and promise to work with the Church on global issues at a time of great geopolitical uncertainty.
