Vatican City: White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signaling that cardinals' closed-door congregation was capped with electing the Catholic Church's 267th Pope. Shortly after, the new pope, the American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who has taken the papal name Leo XIV, appeared at the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, waving to the crowd.
According to Kuwait News Agency, up to 133 cardinals out of 135 eligible ones participated in the clandestine voting process to select a new pope to succeed the late Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 last month. Cardinal Prevost's election marks a significant moment in the history of the Catholic Church, being one of the rare instances of an American ascending to the papacy. The conclave's decision reflects a pivotal moment as the Church navigates its future under new leadership.