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.
