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Pope Leo XIV held his inaugural mass on Friday, following his election as the first pope from the US. The global audience was eager to see what type of leader he would be.
On Thursday, Robert Francis Prevost, who hails from Chicago, was named the 267th pope, taking over from Argentina’s Pope Francis, following a secret conclave conducted by his fellow cardinals in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican.
The 69-year-old, known in Rome as the “Latin Yankee” due to his long-standing missions in Peru, returned to the Sistine Chapel on Friday to lead a private mass alongside cardinals, which the Vatican broadcast.
Leo entered the chapel dressed in a white papal robe adorned with gold, carrying a ferula, a cross-topped staff, and paused occasionally to greet cardinals before beginning the mass.
Less than 24 hours after his election, marked by the sight of white smoke emerging from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, many were still processing the conclave’s choice made by the 133 voting cardinals.
The Vatican shared video footage capturing the moments right after Leo’s secret election on Thursday. The footage shows him in prayer at an altar and exchanging handshakes and congratulations amid a crowd of cardinals in scarlet robes.
Thousands of supporters applauded Leo during his first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening, even though many were unfamiliar with the man standing before them.
The American, who belongs to the Augustinian Order and spent two decades working in Peru, was only elevated to cardinal in 2023. While he was on the radar of many Vatican observers as a potential pope, he is not widely recognised globally.
