VATICAN CITY — Jesus Christ has a new vicar, Rome has a new bishop, and the Universal Church has a new supreme pontiff. Cardinal Robert Prevost became the first-ever American pope, and he will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney around 6.06 p.m. local time on Thursday, the signal that the 133 cardinals locked off to the outside world had come to a two-thirds majority agreement on either the fourth or fifth ballot. The cardinals had been in lockdown for one day and 24 minutes.
Recommended Stories
- No new pope selected on second vote of papal conclave
- Maduro and Putin sign 'strategic partnership treaty' in Moscow
- Xi Jinping visits Moscow ahead of Bessent's trade talks with China
More than an hour later, the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals appeared before the masses gathered in St. Peter’s Square to make an announcement: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; habemus papam!” — in English, “I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope!”
It ushers in a new era of the Catholic Church after the nearly 12-year reign of Pope Francis.
If one wishes to consider what societal and cultural changes the new pope will need to confront, they need only look at the tens of thousands of people from all over the world gathered in St. Peter’s Square during the conclave.
During the 2005 papal election, MySpace was the pinnacle of social media communications, vastly overshadowed by legacy media and traditional reporting on the event. By 2013, Facebook was peaking in relevance, and suddenly it was common for Catholics and non-Catholics alike to remark on the conclave from the comfort of their homes.
WHAT COULD COME NEXT FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
This week, drones have been spotted occasionally flying around Vatican City. Tourists pulled out their phones and livestreamed their reactions from the square as the smoke appeared from the Sistine Chapel.
THE LEGACY OF POPE FRANCIS, 1936-2025
Well-edited “fancam” montages of users’ favorite cardinals appeared on X, Instagram, and TikTok. Memes were made. Users bonded over their shared boredom, watching the chimney for smoke signals. Much of this online conclave fanaticism was coming from people who do not even believe in the Catholic faith.
AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES ON THE CONCLAVE, A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
In a world suffering from polarization and social isolation, the pomp and ritual of the conclave snatched the attention of communities around the world.