Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Pope Leo XIV’s first full day in office, during which he is expected to hold his first mass as leader of the Catholic church.
Robert Francis Prevost, thefirst US-born pope, will celebrate a private mass with cardinals at the Sistine Chapel on Friday at 11am (0900 GMT), during which he will deliver his much anticipated first homily as pope. It will be broadcast live.
The 69-year-old, who has spent much of his life in Peru,was elected by his fellow cardinalson Thursday during a secret conclave after the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis.
With the choice of Prevost, experts say, the cardinals opted for continuity with the late Francis, a progressive from Argentina whoshook up the Churchin his 12-year papacy.
“He is a moderate consensus candidate who fits into a soft continuity, a gentle continuity with Pope Francis, who will not alienate conservatives,” said Francois Mabille, a researcher at the Paris-based think tank IRIS and author of a book onVaticanstrategy.
Here’s what you should know about the new pope:
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said thechoice of the name Leowas a “clear and deliberate” reference to the last pope named Leo. Leo XIII was elected in 1878 and was best known for his 1891 encyclical,Rerum Novarum, which outlined workers’ rights.
In his first comments after his election,Pope Leo XIV preached a message of “unity” and of “moving forward”. He said he wants this message of peace to “enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are.”
Many shared their excitement at having an American pope, and specifically a pope born in Chicago. City mayorBrandon Johnsontweeted “Everything dope, including the Pope, comes from Chicago” and former US presidentBarack Obamacongratulated the “fellow Chicagoan” on social media.
The election of Prevost was also celebrated in Peru, where he has spent much of his life. Peru’s president,Dina Boluartedescribed him as a Peruvian “by choice and conviction”.
US president Donald Trump said he was “surprised”but that it is a “great honour” to have an American pope. Leaders from countries around the world also offered their congratulations.
An account on X widely believed to belong to the new popeshows him to be somewhat critical of the Trump administration.The account posted two articles that took issue with the stance byJD Vance, also a Catholic, on immigration. One article was headlined “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Leo’s brother, John Prevost, told US media that Leo, was not afraid to speak his mind and that he was currently very unhappy with “what’s going on with immigration”. He told the New York Times: “I don’t think he’ll stay quiet for too long if he has something to say … I know he’s not happy with what’s going on with immigration. I know that for a fact.”
In a 2012 address to the world Synod of Bishops,the thenFather Robert Francis Prevost appeared to criticise homosexuality. He said “Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel – for example abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia”.
Like his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo is also on the record as opposing the ordination of women. He told a 2023 synod that “clericalizing women” would not solve problems in the Catholic Church and might create new ones, according to theCatholic news agency.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the president of the Philippines, where 80% of the population is Catholic, has congratulated Pope Leo on his election and said he prayed that he would “continue to bring the Church closer to the poor and disadvantaged”. In a statement carried by local media, he said:
Pope Francis “clearly had his eye on Prevost” as his successor, the Associated Press writes. Here’s a bit more analysis from the agency on how and why Pope Leo may have been selected from among his peers:
Theelection of Pope Leo XIVhas been celebrated across Latin America, where many hailed him as the second pontiff from the region, after his Argentinian predecessor,Francis.
The news prompted particular elation inPeru, where he lived and worked for more than 20 years and was granted citizenship in 2015. In the capital, Lima, the bells of the cathedral rang in celebration.In his first appearance from the Vatican balcony, Leo XIV briefly switched from Italian to Spanish to address the faithful “from my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru”, where he served as bishop for more than a decade.
Peru’s president, Dina Boluarte,hailed the “historic” electionof Leo XIV, whom she described as a Peruvian “by choice and conviction” who had devoted more than 20 years of service to the country.
Even so, Prevost has spoken out against Boluarte’s government in the past. In early 2023, he described his “sadness and pain” over the deaths of 49 protesters inanti-government demonstrationsthat erupted when President Boluarte took office in December 2022, replacing Pedro Castillo who was forced out forattempting to suspend congress.
At the time Prevost said the unrest reflected the historic neglect of Peru’s poor, saying: “This conflict does not represent the best of the country.”
The wires have been digging out pictures of the new pope with his predecessors,Pope John Paul II, who led the Church from 1978 to 2005, as well asPope Benedict XVI(2005-13), and his late friendPope Francis(2013-2025):
John Prevost, Pope Leo’s brother, has given an interview to the Associated Press in which at one point he realised he had missed several calls from the pontiff. The news agency writes:
Continuing the interview, John told the AP that he expected his brother to be a “second Pope Francis”.
What’s in a name? When it comes to a pope – everything. The white smoke from the Sistine Chapel earlier this evening told the world that anew pope to succeed Francishad been elected – and for the first time the pontiff is from the US.
But if Donald Trump and his Catholic convert Veep, JD Vance, are ready to cheer, then they should think again. Cardinal Robert Prevost has chosen the name Leo XIV – and if you’re a papal Leo, you tend to be a reformer at the progressive end ofCatholicism.
That Prevost has decided to become Leo XIV will make Catholics think immediately of the last Leo – Leo XIII – and his 1891 encyclical or teaching document,Rerum Novarum, which outlined workers’ rights to a fair wage, safe working conditions and the rights of workers to belong to trade unions.
If Pope Francis was the People’s Pope, then Leo XIV is all set to be the Workers’ Pope.
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Pope Leo XIV’s first full day in office, during which he is expected to hold his first mass as leader of the Catholic church.
Robert Francis Prevost, thefirst US-born pope, will celebrate a private mass with cardinals at the Sistine Chapel on Friday at 11am (0900 GMT), during which he will deliver his much anticipated first homily as pope. It will be broadcast live.
The 69-year-old, who has spent much of his life in Peru,was elected by his fellow cardinalson Thursday during a secret conclave after the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis.
With the choice of Prevost, experts say, the cardinals opted for continuity with the late Francis, a progressive from Argentina whoshook up the Churchin his 12-year papacy.
“He is a moderate consensus candidate who fits into a soft continuity, a gentle continuity with Pope Francis, who will not alienate conservatives,” said Francois Mabille, a researcher at the Paris-based think tank IRIS and author of a book onVaticanstrategy.
Here’s what you should know about the new pope:
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said thechoice of the name Leowas a “clear and deliberate” reference to the last pope named Leo. Leo XIII was elected in 1878 and was best known for his 1891 encyclical,Rerum Novarum, which outlined workers’ rights.
In his first comments after his election,Pope Leo XIV preached a message of “unity” and of “moving forward”. He said he wants this message of peace to “enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are.”
Many shared their excitement at having an American pope, and specifically a pope born in Chicago. City mayorBrandon Johnsontweeted “Everything dope, including the Pope, comes from Chicago” and former US presidentBarack Obamacongratulated the “fellow Chicagoan” on social media.
The election of Prevost was also celebrated in Peru, where he has spent much of his life. Peru’s president,Dina Boluartedescribed him as a Peruvian “by choice and conviction”.
US president Donald Trump said he was “surprised”but that it is a “great honour” to have an American pope. Leaders from countries around the world also offered their congratulations.
An account on X widely believed to belong to the new popeshows him to be somewhat critical of the Trump administration.The account posted two articles that took issue with the stance byJD Vance, also a Catholic, on immigration. One article was headlined “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Leo’s brother, John Prevost, told US media that Leo, was not afraid to speak his mind and that he was currently very unhappy with “what’s going on with immigration”. He told the New York Times: “I don’t think he’ll stay quiet for too long if he has something to say … I know he’s not happy with what’s going on with immigration. I know that for a fact.”
In a 2012 address to the world Synod of Bishops,the thenFather Robert Francis Prevost appeared to criticise homosexuality. He said “Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel – for example abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia”.
Like his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo is also on the record as opposing the ordination of women. He told a 2023 synod that “clericalizing women” would not solve problems in the Catholic Church and might create new ones, according to theCatholic news agency.