In his first speech, Pope Leo XIV called for 'peace' to 'all peoples.'

The new leader of the Catholic Church, León XIV, appeared on the Vatican balcony after being proclaimed as the successor to Pope Francis, before a crowd gathered in the square waiting for him with enthusiasm.

During his first message as pontiff, he urged the faithful to follow Christ's example, assuring that "evil will not prevail," and took the opportunity to make a "call for peace" directed "to all peoples." "My gratitude to Pope Francis!" expressed León XIV in his inaugural speech.

During his first address, Pope León XIV offered a special greeting in Spanish to his "dear diocese of Chiclayo" in Peru. "If I may also say a word, a greeting... to all those, particularly, to my dear diocese of Chiclayo in Peru," expressed the newly elected pontiff from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

This Thursday, a thick column of white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, an unmistakable sign that the cardinals gathered in conclave had elected the new Pope, although the world still did not know his identity.

Like in the 2013 conclave that elected Francis, more than an hour passed before the new Pope made his appearance on the central balcony of St. Peter's. There, the protodeacon cardinal —Dominique Mamberti, of French origin— pronounced the traditional formula in Latin: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam" ("I announce to you a great joy: we have a Pope"), before revealing the name of the chosen one and the pontifical name adopted: the American cardinal Robert Prevost, who will assume the pontificate under the name León XIV.

Prevost was among the main candidates for the papacy in the conclave that began on Wednesday in the Vatican. It is noteworthy that he also holds Peruvian nationality, which he obtained in 2015, after having developed much of his religious ministry in the Andean country.

Close to Francis

Robert Prevost, 69 years old and originally from Chicago, United States, arrived in Peru in 1985 as part of a mission of the Order of St. Augustine, just three years after being ordained a priest. In 1988 he returned to the country to take charge of the Augustinian seminary in the northern city of Trujillo, a role he held for a decade.

In 2014 he returned again to Peruvian lands, this time as apostolic administrator of the diocese of Chiclayo, and later was appointed bishop of that same locality located in the north of the country.

It was precisely during this period that he acquired Peruvian nationality, in compliance with one of the agreements established in the concordat between the Peruvian State and the Holy See.

Between 2018 and 2023 he was part of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP), in which he held the position of second vice president. Additionally, between 2020 and 2021, he served as apostolic administrator of Callao, the port region neighboring Lima.

Currently, he presides over the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and since 2023 he has been in Rome, where he was summoned by Pope Francis —with whom he maintained a close relationship— to assume the direction of the Dicastery for Bishops.