Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost is the newly elected Pope.
The College of Cardinals voted four times before white smoke appeared from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel.
The new pope, the first ever from the United States/North America, has taken the name Leo XIV.
A graduate of Villanova University, Prevost has been based in Rome for a number of years.
His roots are on Chicago's South Side.
“Peace be with all you,” were his first words to the crowd in a packed St. Peter's Square.
The pope addressed the crowd in Italian and Spanish before delivering his blessing in Latin. Interestingly he did not speak in English.
He pointed to the need to continue the work of his predecessor Pope France saying that the Catholic Church had to be a missionary church.
"Cardinal Robert Prevost, born in Chicago, is the first American pope," was the headline in the Chicago Sun Times.
"Chicago native Robert Prevost becomes the first American pope in history," was the headline in the Chicago Tribune.
The new pope worked in Peru for a number years and also holds Peruvian citizenship.
