White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Thursday afternoon, cascading against the Roman sky as thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square fell silent, then erupted in jubilation.
In that moment, centuries of tradition once more converged with history, as the world awaited the voice from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Then came the words that resounded across the square and around the globe: Habemus Papam—”We have a Pope.”
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a 69-year-old American from Chicago, emerged as Pope Leo XIV, the 267th successor to Saint Peter, and the first pontiff ever elected from the United States. His elevation, while unexpected, was not unfathomable. Long seen as a capable administrator and bridge-builder, Leo XIV steps into the role as a pastor-scholar shaped by decades of service across cultures, continents, and crises.
Speaking to a crowd of more than 100,000 pilgrims and visitors in St. Peter’s Square, the new pope offered not a proclamation of triumph, but a plea for unity. “Peace be with you,” he began, his voice both firm and reverent. “A disarmed, disarming, humble peace. God loves us all, unconditionally.” Then, echoing the parting words of his predecessor Pope Francis, he declared, “Evil will not prevail. We are all in God’s hands.”
His election came at the conclusion of one of the shortest conclaves in modern memory, less than 26 hours, signaling an unusually swift consensus among the cardinal-electors. It also marked the end of a subtle but enduring reluctance within the Vatican to consider an American pontiff, given the geopolitical influence of the United States. Yet in Prevost, the College of Cardinals found not a political figure, but a pastor with global sensibilities and a theologian’s mind.
Image source: instagram @vaticannews
Image source: instagram @vaticannewsThe Rituals Behind the Revelation
As detailed in the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, the election of a pope becomes official not with the smoke, but with the candidate’s acceptance. Following that sacred “yes,” the ballots are burned, and white smoke rises to the sky—an ancient code understood the world over.
Within the Sistine Chapel, the pope-elect is then escorted to the Room of Tears, a small chamber where the weight of the moment often settles heavily upon new shoulders. After donning the white cassock, he returns to the chapel for a brief but solemn liturgy, including a reading from the Gospel and prayers offered by senior cardinals.
Image source: instagram @vaticannews
Image source: instagram @vaticannewsFrom there, the Cardinal Protodeacon—on this occasion, Dominique Mamberti—steps onto the Loggia of the Blessings and utters the traditional formula: Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam.
Moments later, Pope Leo XIV stood before the world for the first time.
A Prayer Beneath Michelangelo’s Sky
On Friday May 9, 2025, the Sistine Chapel resumed its deeper purpose. Beneath the painted vault of creation and judgment, Pope Leo celebrated his first Mass as pontiff with the cardinal-electors. In that intimate service, unseen by cameras, the spiritual work of his papacy truly began.
“I pray for a Church that illuminates the dark nights of this world,” he said quietly during the Mass, in what Vatican sources described as a heartfelt homily focused on mercy, humility, and the global human family.
Though Leo’s papacy will be ceremonially inaugurated with a public Mass in St. Peter’s Square on May 18, and his first general audience is scheduled for May 21, the work has already begun.
Image source: Vatican media
Image source: Vatican media
A Pontificate Begins
With 1.4 billion Catholics looking to Rome, Leo XIV inherits a Church navigating complex terrain, marked by growing secularism, internal reform, interfaith dialogue, and moral leadership in a fractious world. He follows Pope Francis, who in his final blessing on Easter Sunday called for peace, dialogue, and compassion, values now deeply etched into the new pontificate.
Pope Leo has made clear his desire to carry forward that vision. “The world needs His light,” he said in his first address. “Help us build bridges, with dialogue, to always be at peace.”
If the journey from white smoke to Habemus Papam is one of solemn tradition, the days that follow are where history is truly written. In Leo XIV, the Church has chosen a leader not simply for a nation, but for a time.
