In the end, after all the fevered speculation, the favourites were found wanting. It was not to be Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomat, nor Cardinal Tagle, “the Asian Francis”. No, the name that was announced from the balcony was little known: that of Robert Francis Prevost, an American from Chicago. The compromise candidate had been chosen.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV laid out the vision of his papacy Saturday, identifying artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity and vowing to continue with some of the core priorities of Pope Francis.
But in a sign he was making the papacy very much his own, Leo made his first outing since his election to a sanctuary south of Rome that is dedicated to the Madonna and is of particular significance to his Augustinian order and his namesake, Pope Leo XIII.
Catholicism has rarely been more prominent in US politics as the Trump administration openly embraces advisers and officials who proudly say faith has shaped their views.
But any jubilation on the American Make America Great Again right about the new Pope this week quickly dissipated as key voices from Donald Trump’s Maga movement came to a disappointed conclusion: the first American Pope does not appear to be “America first”.
Little is known about the political leanings of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago.
Pope Leo XIV has been accused of mishandling allegations of child sex abuse.
The accusations refer to allegations before Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost’s election as the 267th leader of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Prevost is said to have failed to properly investigate multiple claims made against Catholic priests in Peru and, according to reports in the US, gave refuge to an accused paedophile in a monastery without informing a nearby school in Chicago.
On May 6th, LifeSite News published an op-ed piece headlined “Could Cardinal Prevost be the first American pope?” The subhead is: “Seemingly out of nowhere, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is being discussed as a serious candidate in the upcoming conclave.”
The author concludes a long list of problems evident from the prelate’s past actions and pronouncements as follows: The question is whether he professes the faith whole and entire, in public and without compromise. If the answer is not a clear “Yes,” then the conclusion is clear: he cannot be validly elected or accepted as pope.
Thanks to Walt for bringing this to our attention.
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. Of the 133 cardinals sequestered in the Vatican since May 7, one has now been elected as the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
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.
The plume of dark smoke indicates that the 133 cardinal electors sequestered inside the chapel have not reached the required two-thirds majority — at least 89 votes — needed to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.
While the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics wait prayerfully for the elevation to the papacy of the 267th pope, successor to the Christ-appointed St. Peter, most of the rest of humanity may be wondering what impact the new pontiff could have on global affairs.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership, which did not send a representative to the funeral of Pope Francis, has cause to be attentive. If this week’s Papal Conclave selects Philippines Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila, CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping would have reason for concern.
That includes not kissing Islamist feet.
After a lengthy wait, black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney this evening, meaning that the cardinals have not been able to choose a new pontiff.
NOW – Black smoke. No new Pope elected. pic.twitter.com/K6xcxSpjZd
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) May 7, 2025
A guide to the new pope’s election, from cardinal oath to white smoke
The conclave to elect the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church is being held for the 26th time at the Sistine Chapel.
Cardinals voted to start the election on Wednesday May 7, even though they could have opted for May 5, suggesting they wanted more time for pre-conclave meetings which allow them to mull over candidates.
With recent conclaves lasting no more than two days, many expect the choice to be made on Friday or even Thursday.
After morning Mass, the cardinal electors surrender their mobile phones, form a solemn procession and enter the chapel.
Vatican firefighters have installed a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel in preparation for next week’s conclave, the secretive election in which cardinals will choose a new pope.
The installation of the chimney is a key step in the lead-up to the conclave, along with officers from the Swiss Guards and the Vatican Gendarmerie, the sovereign nation’s tiny police force, sweeping the frescoed chapel for listening devices and bugs.
One is partial to grilled calamari, another cannot resist spaghetti with seafood and a third confesses to a weakness for gelato.
As cardinals prepare to enter the Sistine Chapel in a few days to elect a new pope, they are engaged in intense discussions over plates of carbonara and bottles of wine in the Borgo, the village-like quarter of cobbled lanes, tiny piazzas and ornate fountains that lies just a few yards from the walls of the Vatican City State.
Think of them as “gnocchi negotiations”; perhaps “tagliatelle talks”.
As about 135 cardinals prepare to elect the next pope, thousands of Italians are already doing the same in an online game.
Instead of placing bets on the next pontiff, “Fantapapa” allows users to pick their favourite candidates for an 11-a-side team, playing on Italy’s passion for football and the Church.
Will the next pope continue the last pope’s consistent record of appeasing Islam?
The late Pope Francis had a long record of whitewashing Islamic jihad violence and making moral equivalence arguments in order to downplay jihad terror. Back in 2017, Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Cairo’s al-Azhar, noticed the pope’s yeoman service for the Islamic cause and thanked him for his “defense of Islam against the accusation of violence and terrorism.”
