COMMENTARY: Not since 1808, when Bishop John Carroll was elevated to serve the see of Baltimore, has the Catholic Church in the U.S. had a clear national leader.

The election of a first North American pontiff came after the death of the first Latin American pope and signaled a relinquishing of papal authority from Europe.

The 2025 papal conclave at the Vatican ended with the election of American-born Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV. Here ...

Black smoke again billowed out of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, the second day of the conclave, indicating that no new pontiff has been chosen after the second or third ballots.

Robert Prevost, the choice of the world's Catholic cardinals to serve as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church, is the ...

Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV. He grew up in Dolton and attended St. Mary of the Assumption. A childhood friend said ...

When the conclave's cardinals finish casting their ballots under Michelangelo's frescoed ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, the 267th pope will have to decide whether to continue Francis’ policies.

Latest news and live updates as the election process for the next pope continues. The cardinals met for their first conclave vote last night.

has spent much of his life outside the United States. By Motoko Rich Elizabeth Dias and Jason Horowitz Reporting from Vatican City Robert Francis Prevost, who was elected the 267th pope of the ...

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost on Thursday became the first ever pope from the United States, a surprise selection by 133 cardinals from across the globe on the second day of the papal conclave ...

"I hope to be able to respond to [the challenges] with a healthy dialogue," said Cardinal Robert Prevost in 2023.

The US-born missionary and senior Vatican official has become the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church in its 2000-year history. Follow our live updates.