How Leo became the unexpected pope

“Nobody does drama like the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, shortly after emerging from the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday.

“Nobody does drama like the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, shortly after emerging from the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday.

The quick decision, made some 33 hours after the Sistine Chapel’s doors closed and the cardinals went into sequestration, was a sign that they likely entered the conclave with enough unity around the decision to continue Francis’ legacy that they did not have to spend days tussling over a new direction for the Vatican.

In the weeks ahead of the conclave, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, said in a joint press conference with five other American cardinals on Friday. “We listened to each other. What does the church need? What does the world need? What are we hoping for? What are we dreaming about?”

Cardinals on a balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, as Leo made his first appearance after the being elected by the conclave.GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP - Getty ImagesLeo, previously Cardinal Robert Prevost, a U.S. native with Peruvian citizenship and deep ties to Latin America, is described by the Vatican as the “second pope from the Americas,” to Francis’ first. He is known to have been close to the late pontiff, both in their daily dealings at the Vatican and ideologically.

Like Francis, Leo is known for his concern for the poor and marginalized, and in his first Sunday blessing as pope, quoted Francis and called for ceasefires in Ukraine and Gaza, the subjects of Francis’ final message to the world.