History was made Thursday as the first American was elected pope.
Cardinal Robert Prevost will now be known as Pope Leo XIV. The new pontiff welcomed a massive crowd from the balcony above St. Peter’s Square, NBC News reported.
The 133 cardinals elected the new pope in the fourth ballot of the conclave.
Nelson Jesus Pérez, archbishop of Philadelphia, called Pope Leo XIV “wonderful, gentle, profound man of God.”
Pérez said his Prevost, was “a great gift to the church and the world.”
President Donald Trump congratulated the new pope on social media.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!” Trump wrote.
Pope Leo XIV said Catholics need to live as missionaries and added he hopes to be a builder of peace during his time as pope, per Fox News.
He asked Catholics to help him bring peace to “all peoples,” and participating in dialogue and “building bridges.”
