Pope Leo XIV was applauded by cardinals in the Sistine Chapel and prayed alone after being elected as the new leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday (May 8).

Cardinal Robert Prevost, a little known missionary from Chicago, was a surprise choice and became the first U.S. pope.

Prevost, 69 and originally from Chicago, has spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru and has dual Peruvian nationality. He only became a cardinal in 2023. He has given few media interviews and rarely speaks in public.

Prevost becomes the 267th Catholic pope, following the death last month of Pope Francis, who was the first Latin American pope and had led the Church for 12 years.

(Production: Liliana Ciobanu, Helena Williams)