The Catholic Church will now be led by Pope Robert Francis Prevost, a 69-year-old Pontiff native of Chicago.

Just this Thursday evening, white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that a successor to Pope Francis had been chosen. Within the next hour, a senior cardinal stepped onto the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and welcomed its newest leader by announcing “Habemus papam!” – Latin for “We have a pope!”

Pope Robert Francis Prevost stepped out shortly after, though he will now go by his papal name, Pope Leo XIV. According to Al Jazeera, the pontiff is a US and Peruvian citizen who spent many years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.

Read Pope Robert Francis Prevost's first words to his church below:

The pontiff addressed the people in Spanish, and in his speech, called on the "people of Rome and Italy" to be a "church that shows charity always and is especially charitable to those who are suffering."

Noting that "today is the day of praying to the Madonna of Pompeii," Pope Robert Francis Prevost called on his supporters to "pray for this new mission and peace in the world."

The election of an American pope brings an end to the Vatican's longstanding opposition to the idea of a pontiff hailing from the States. US President Donald Trump acknowledged the white smoke just before the name of the pope was announced.

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