BREAKING NEWS: Catholic Church Welcomes New Pope – Leo XIV

BREAKING NEWS: Catholic Church Welcomes New Pope – Leo XIV – VATICAN CITY – The Catholic Church has a new spiritual leader. US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, aged 69, has been elected as the next pope, taking the papal name Pope Leo XIV.

The historic announcement was made this evening from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica by senior cardinal Dominique Mamberti, who declared the iconic phrase “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”) to the delight of tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Leo XIV was chosen on the second day of the conclave, which began on 7 May with 133 cardinals entering the Sistine Chapel to vote in secrecy.

At approximately 5pm UK time, white smoke billowed from the chapel’s chimney, signaling that a two-thirds majority had been reached and a new pope elected.

In keeping with tradition, the cardinals had surrendered all electronic devices, and the chapel was thoroughly swept for surveillance equipment to ensure total confidentiality.

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Pope Leo XIV succeeds Pope Francis, who passed away on 21 April at the age of 88 following complications from a stroke and heart failure.

The late pontiff was mourned by hundreds of thousands, with more than 250,000 attending his funeral on 27 April.

The newly elected pope is expected to address the faithful from the same balcony where his election was announced, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the leadership of the Catholic Church.