On May 8, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV by the College of Cardinals as the 266th successor of St. Peter, making him the 267th pope and the first from the United States. 

Just hours after being elected the Catholic Church’s 267th pontiff, Pope Leo XIV has three appointments on his agenda: a Mass with cardinals, praying the Regina Caeli, and greeting journalists and media who covered the conclave.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, May 8 — the first pope from the United States.

Pope Leo XIV greeted the world for the first time on Thursday with the words “Peace be with you all.”

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.

White smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel today at 6:09 p.m. Rome time, signaling the College of Cardinals has chosen a new pope.

Black smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at 11:51 am Rome time on Thursday, signaling that the cardinals voting at the conclave have not yet elected a new pope.

John, Pius, Leo, and Alexander. These are just a few of the names popes have taken over the centuries. When the white smoke appears and a new pope is chosen, he is asked: “By what name shall you be called?”

Some of the people who are most desperate for hope — including suffering Christians in Ukraine, the Holy Land, and Africa — will be represented in Rome this week in a pilgrimage for the 2025 Jubilee Year.

When Pope Leo XIII was elected in 1878, the story goes that he wept. At age 67, he thought he was too old for the job. (He lived to be the second-oldest pope and died at the age of 93).

The newly elected pope will leave the Sistine Chapel at the conclusion of the conclave and walk into a small antechamber, known as the “Room of Tears,” to be vested into his papal attire for the first time.

Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney Wednesday evening to the watchful eyes of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square as the first day of conclave voting concluded without a new pontiff.

With the start of the conclave May 7, there are five cardinal electors who bring a significant amount of experience to the process.

Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney Wednesday evening to the watchful eyes of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square as the first day of conclave voting concluded without a new pontiff.

Amid the pre-conclave anticipation, the Catholic Church found renewed hope as 23 new Legionaries of Christ were ordained priests on May 3 at Rome’s St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica.

At the Mass for the election of a new pope, the dean of the College of Cardinals made “a strong call to maintain the unity of the Church” ahead of the conclave on Wednesday.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, delivered this homily at the Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on May 7, 2025, just hours before the conclave to elect Pope Francis’s successor.

As the cardinals gather in conclave beginning today, May 7, the Church and all people of goodwill are invited to pray this prayer given by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word.

All eyes have turned to Vatican City as the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor is set to begin May 7.

The papal fisherman’s ring and lead seal were nulled during the 12th general congregation of the College of Cardinals on Tuesday.

The Vatican on Tuesday released photos of the Sistine Chapel prepared for the arrival of the cardinal electors who will select the next pope in the conclave set to begin on Wednesday.

On Sunday, the Cardinals ended nine requiem Masses for Pope Francis, linking the apostles’ sorrow after Christ’s death to the Church’s mourning and hope in the Resurrection.

Before the conclave, the cardinals held 12 general congregations at the Vatican to reflect on the Church’s state and its challenges in today’s world.

The greatest pre-conclave homily was preached by St. John Paul II in 1978, on the Gospel where Christ asks Peter three times, ‘Do you love me?’ — the same Gospel heard in churches around the world this past Sunday.