USA Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday and has taken the name Pope Leo XIV a senior cardinal announced to crowds in St. Peter’s Square.
Prevost, age 69, from Chicago, Illinois, is a leader with global experience, he spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and served as bishop in Peru. He most recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments. He is expected to build on Pope Francis’ reforms.