•Robert Prevost was elected the new Pope/AP
Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected the 267th pope – and the first from the United States – after he was chosen in a centuries-old ritual.
The cardinal, 69, will take the name Pope Leo XIV.
As is tradition, the announcement that the 133 cardinals making up the conclave had come to a decision was made using white smoke rising from a specially-built chimney of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
The new pope’s first message to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics will be through his choice of papal name, which often indicates they will follow the doctrine of a predecessor.
The conclave began on Wednesday when cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel two by two, chanting the meditative Litany of the Saints as Swiss Guards stood at attention. The hymn, and the one that followed, implores the saints and the Holy Spirit to help the cardinals find a new pontiff.
Hailing from 70 countries, the cardinals were sequestered from the outside world, their mobile phones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed to prevent all communications until they reached a two-thirds majority decision.
More than 80 of the cardinals had been appointed by Pope Francis, who died last month aged 88 after a 12-year papacy. (TheNational)