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White smoke means there's a new Pope. Introducing Pope Leo XIV. We vote, we vote, we vote!
The 267th Pope, to be exact. And the first American. This is stunning. It is an American Monsignor. Completely overwhelmed. I can't stop crying. I'm overjoyed. I'm shaky. We feel excited that he's American. I'm ecstatic. Excited and hopeful. USA! USA! USA! USA!
In this episode, we're going to explain what we know about Pope Leo XIV, his views, and what young Catholics around the world want him to do.
I think peace is the first thing to try to do. We need peace more than ever in this time. I hope he continues to be the voice of the unheard. I hope he will actually make a positive change in the world. We'll also get into why, up until now, the idea of an American Pope has been taboo. I'm Ikra Farouk and this is What's in the World on the BBC World Service.
So let's rewind on this a bit. The new leader of the Catholic Church was picked by 133 cardinals, senior Catholic leaders who are all men from 70 different countries in what's called a conclave. This is a secret vote to elect a new pope.
Robert Prévost, or Pope Leo XIV as he'll now be known, came out onto the balcony and made a speech. Peace be with all of you, he said. Later, speaking in Spanish, he did a shout-out to his diocese in Chiclayo in Peru.
A country where he's worked for decades and has citizenship too. So who is Robert Prevost? Here's BBC correspondent Mark Lowen to explain. He was born in Chicago.
But he was bishop of Chiclayu in Peru and spent a lot of his time in Peru. He's got that kind of Latin American feel to him as well. He's 69 and, yeah, in cardinal terms, that is relatively young to be chosen as pope. He's not too young, not too old. It could be quite a lengthy papacy if...
Pope Leo XIV remains in good health. He's very close to late Pope Francis' views on the environment, his outreach to the poor and to migrants.
And that was really a kind of a theme of his inaugural address. The word that really was most often in his speech was peace. You really get that sense of history and I guess elation in the air there. I was actually with Mark in Vatican City shortly after the death of Pope Francis. I'm sad I can't be there this time with him to experience that moment.
But speaking to young Catholics in Vatican City, you really got a sense of some of them said there were two young American boys who stand out to me, actually, that they weren't even Catholic. But whoever is a pope is a big deal to everyone in the world, is what they said. And they were willing to wait four hours in a long queue to see Pope Francis' body and really believed in his legacy as well.
So, back to Pope Leo, the new pope. His two older brothers have been talking to the media since he got elected. Let's have a listen. It was like, oh my God, it's Rob. It's never going to be the same. What are we going to do? Yes, it's Rob! Yeah, yeah! My name is John Prevost. I am...
the brother of the new Pope, and we do Wordle so we can do the words with friends right there while we're talking. I guess a sense of tremendous pride came over me, but then also how's he going to handle this? The huge responsibility that now is on his shoulders.
We knew when he was a little kid that he would be a priest. That was never a question. When he was in, I think, first grade, one of the neighborhood ladies across the street said to him, "You will be the first American pope." She knew that. She sensed that at six years old. How she did that? Who knows. I think he will be a second Pope Francis.
I think he's got great concern for the plight of the poor, for the downtrodden, for the people who don't have a voice. So what do we know about his views? Alim McBool is the BBC's religion editor. I've obviously spoken to a lot of people since Pope Francis' death about what the church needs. I've spoken to cardinals, to others here over the past couple of weeks before they went into conclave about what they thought the person they were looking for was.
And a couple of themes came out. One was continuity of what Pope Francis started, which was...
you know, looking out for the poor, reorienting the church. So it wasn't so top down being a voice for the voiceless, reaching out to people in the outer reaches of the Catholic world, but also to other faiths as well. But the other thing that came up was unity, because there was a sense during the Francis years that because he was,
He was a touch of a maverick. There was a sense that he went ahead and did things and wasn't too worried about his critics, even within the church. And so people wanted unity. And Robert Prevost's name started to come through those kind of conversations. That he was someone that, you know, people don't necessarily...
When it comes to Pope Leo's stance on LGBT people and the church,
We've still to find out whether he'll take a similar or different approach compared to the late Pope Francis. People are combing through his previous comments and speeches, trying to work out his position. Questions have also been raised about Pope Leo's knowledge of abuse allegations in the Ciclaio diocese while he was a bishop there, and whether he did enough to investigate them. The Vatican has denied any wrongdoing on his behalf.
The first American pope. It's all over news feeds on social. People are keen to find out a bit more on what he thinks about US politics too. The BBC's North America editor Sarah Smith is going to help us out with this one. Cardinal...
as he was at the time, has been on social media criticizing the vice president directly when he was using the Bible to back up Trump administration immigration policies. For instance, he was rebuked and criticized by the cardinal for that. So he's somebody who certainly...
in his previous role was more than happy to speak out when he saw the administration doing something he didn't agree with, especially when using Christian teachings to try and justify their policies. So it would be very, very interesting to see if he continues in that vein. The US has the fourth largest number of Catholics in the world. So why is there said to be a taboo against electing an American pope?
Well, let's find out. Back to Mark again. Initially, it was more about logistics, that it just took too long to get from the New World to Rome. So American cardinals would arrive too late to vote in the conclave.
But then it became geopolitical, impossible for the global superpower to take the leadership of 1.4 billion Catholics, something that would upset the global balance of power. But the world has changed. Other countries now rival the US for influence.
And Leo XIV is also Peruvian. He's the least American of the US cardinals who were in contention. One of the most searched questions is what does the Pope actually do? It's a good question and we've got the answer for you.
Hi, my name is Laura Godzi and I've been in Rome all week covering the Conclave and the new Pope for BBC News Digital. First of all, of course he's the leader of the Catholic Church and it's over 1 billion followers worldwide. But he's also the head of the Vatican City State, so this means that the Pope's duties are both political and religious. He conducts mass, chooses cardinals and appoints bishops, and of course travels a lot, if he so wishes.
He can take up global causes he cares about, so in Pope Francis' case that was poverty, climate change and the dignity of migrants. And of course the Pope is tasked with deciding the Church's position on all sorts of major religious issues. He doesn't receive a salary in the traditional sense, but all his needs are taken care of by the Vatican, and that means that all his accommodation, travel, food and expenses are paid for.
So what do young Catholics around the world think about Pope Leo XIV? You've been sending us your messages on this. Over to you guys. I'm William Afo, 25 years of age, from Ghana, Accra. From his first speech, blessing, everything, we could see a man of peace, love, justice. I'm so happy. It's full of joy. As young as I am, experiencing peace,
This conclave, first I've seen... Hello BBC, I'm Ashley Solano-Hernández. I'm a 22-year-old Colombian-British pianist and composer. I think that the new Pope represents a unity between areas of the world that are usually seen as divided and at odds.
And with his new papacy, I pray that he helps to convert and show the love of Christ to all of my Generation Z. My name is Veronika Sena Aminah and I'm 21 years of age. Well, I'd like to say congratulations to our new Pope. I am hoping that during his papacy, he will be able to foster peace and unity in the world. Interesting to see the new Pope is from Chicago.
As an American with Salvadoran roots, it's nice to see some diversity in the church's leadership. Hi, I'm Olivia of KJC and I'm happy that a new Pope has emerged and also a little bit disappointed because I vouch for an African Pope. I hope he's not this progressive minded.
like especially in things that are through the Stonestock Church in the Catholic Church. My name is Stephanie Espiritu. People in Peru feel proud of him because he's also a naturalized Peruvian. We were all surprised when Robert Pribos was chosen. Many of my friends know him. Some even have a photo with him. My name is Lemi Joma, professional photographer and creative media professional in Abuja, Nigeria.
I was particularly moved by Pope Leo XIV's emphasis on the church being a missionary church that builds bridges and seeks closeness to people, especially those who are suffering. I'm proud to be Catholic. I believe the future of the church is bright and beautiful.
Thank you for joining us on this episode of What's in the World from the BBC World Service. And I hope you got a better idea of who the new Pope, Pope Leo XIV, is too. I'm Ikra Farouk and we'll see you next time. Bye.