Who is the new Pope?

The New York Times

Robert Francis Prevost, 69, was born in Chicago and served for two decades in Peru, where he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen. He then rose to head his international religious order. Until the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis, Prevost held one of the most influential positions in the Vatican, heading the department that selects and manages bishops worldwide.

A member of the Order of St. Augustine, he resembles Pope Francis in his commitment to the poor and migrants, as well as in his effort to meet people where they are. Last year, in an interview with the Vatican's official website, he said: "The bishop should not be a little prince who sits in his kingdom."

He has spent most of his life outside the United States. Ordained in 1982 at the age of 27, he received a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. In Peru, he served as a missionary, parish priest, teacher, and later as bishop. As head of the Augustinian order, he visited branches of the order around the world. He speaks Spanish and Italian.

Where does he stand on major issues?
Often described as reserved and discreet, he is likely to be stylistically different from Francis as pope. His supporters believe he is likely to continue the consultative process initiated by Pope Francis to include laypeople in discussions with bishops.

It is not yet clear whether he will be as open to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Catholics as Pope Francis. Although he has not spoken much on the issue recently, in a 2012 address to bishops, he expressed regret that Western media and pop culture support what he called “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are contrary to the Gospel.” He specifically mentioned “homosexual living” and “alternative families made up of same-sex couples and their adopted children.”

Like many other cardinals, he has been criticized for how he has handled cases of priests accused of sexual abuse.

Who elected the new pope?
The new pope was elected in a conclave that began on May 7, 2025.
The decision was made by the College of Cardinals, the highest body of clerics after the pope in the Catholic hierarchy. There are currently 252 cardinals in total. Only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote — 135 in total, the highest number ever. About 80% of them were appointed by Pope Francis. Cardinals vote by secret ballot until a candidate receives two-thirds of the votes.
The ballots are burned after each round — black smoke means there is no result yet, white smoke means the pope has been elected.

This conclave lasted two days, a common length of time for the modern era. Historically, elections have lasted from a few hours to over two years.

How long did his election last?
The length of papal conclaves has varied greatly over the centuries. Since 1900, this is the fifth pope to be elected in two days.

The longest conclave during this period lasted five days and 14 rounds of voting, and produced Pope Pius XI in 1922. Pope Francis was elected after two days of voting.

The shortest conclave, the one that elected Pope Pius XII in 1939, lasted only three rounds.
But it wasn't always so quick:
The conclave that ended with the election of Pope Gregory X on September 1, 1271, lasted two years, nine months, and two days.

What are the main issues in the Catholic Church?
The cardinals had to decide whether to elect a pope who would continue Pope Francis' path of openness and inclusion, or to elect a pope who would follow a different direction.

During his 12-year pontificate, Francis made historic statements that encouraged the liberal camp, including allowing people to bless same-sex unions and speaking out in defense of migrants.

The cardinals who elect the pope sometimes seem as ideologically divided as many lay voters around the world. Many conservative Catholic leaders disagreed with Francis.

But the typical divisions between progressives and conservatives do not align so clearly with the ideological battles within the Vatican and the Church more broadly. There are complex debates over:

The role of women in the Church
The place of LGBTQ+ Catholics in the community
Whether priests should be allowed to marry
Accountability for sexual abuse by clergy
As well as many other divisive issues