Cardinal Robert Prevost is the new Pope.
“Habemus Papam,” said Cardinal Dominique announcing the elevation of the 69-year-old American-born cardinal from Peru.
More than 50,000 people in a packed St. Peter’s Square cheered as Pope xxxx emerged on the balcony about an hour after the white smoke was seen coming from the Sistine Chapel
will be the 267th Bishop of Rome in a line stretching from St. Peter to today. While it will likely never be known how many votes from the 133-strong College of Cardinals xxxx received, a successful appointment of a new Pontiff requires a two-thirds majority – so he obviously garnered over 89 votes from his peers from around the globe.
Of the 133 current cardinals, 108 of them were appointed by Pope Francis. In an acknowledgement of the reality of the modern church and its strongholds, the Argentina-born Francis was the first Pope to not come from Europe.
Tellingly, even in a Church that has deep ideological divisions between progressives like the late Francis, moderates and conservatives, there is continuation, both historical and functional. On the latter, the new Pope was elected in the afternoon on the second day of the Conclave just like Francis in 2013 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.
A media spectacle since Francis’ death on April 21, the news of a new Pope pushed the USA/UK trade deal announcement and Joe Biden’s halting appearance on The View out of the spotlight, at least for a few hours.
