Pope Leo XIV, the First American Pope: How to Watch His First Appearance

The papal conclave took place this week, and the white smoke that issued from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Thursday at 6:07 p.m. local time indicated a new pope has been chosen. After the cardinals voted and their ballots were counted, the ballots were burned and chemicals added to the flames to produce white smoke. Crowds gathering in St. Peter’s Square cheered and celebrated the results. 

Cardinal Robert Prevost, the first American pope in history, will be known as Pope Leo XIV, according to CNN. The new pope made his first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at 7:13 p.m. He read briefly to the crowd, before disappearing inside again. The other cardinals appeared soon after, looking excited.

Pope Leo XIV reemerged in his papal robes at 7:23 p.m., waving to the thousands of people in the crowd gathered below, before speaking.

Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88, was laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church voted for a successor in an assembly known as a conclave beginning Wednesday. Only cardinals younger than 80 years old are eligible to vote in a papal election. While 135 cardinals come in under this age requirement, two withdrew from the voting for health reasons, so 133 were eligible to vote.

How to watch the new pope’s appearance

The major news networks are livestreaming the Vatican. Crowds are gathered in Saint Peter’s Square outside the Vatican to see the new head of the Roman Catholic Church make his first appearance as pope.

There was no way to watch the real papal conclave, as it was conducted inside the walls of the Sistine Chapel in private. The movie Conclave, while entertaining and well reviewed, is a fictional version. But the major news networks are covering any news about the event.

Perhaps the most interesting way to follow along is to tune in to the Vatican’s own YouTube channel, which is streaming a live webcam from St. Peter’s Square in Rome, the large public square outside the Vatican buildings. 

Who is the new pope?

Cardinal Robert Prevost was chosen as the first American pope in history, and will be known as Pope Leo XIV. He is the 267th pope.

Other frontrunners who were considered potential strong candidates for the papacy included Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Italy, who is noted for his diplomatic efforts and alignment with Pope Francis’ vision. Cardinal Luis Tagle from the Philippines was also a prominent figure, recognized for his advocacy for social justice and alleviation of poverty. And Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana was discussed as a possible first African pope in the modern era. 

In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

No, Trump could not be pope

Any man who is a baptized Catholic can technically be elected pope, but in reality, the next pope is chosen from the College of Cardinals. Cardinals are senior members of the clergy and are selected by the pope to serve as advisors to him. 

Days before Pope Francis’ funeral, US President Donald Trump told reporters, apparently jokingly, “I’d like to be pope.” But as a non-Catholic, Trump is not eligible.

Trump also shared an AI-generated image of himself as pope on his Truth Social social media site last week. The official White House account reposted the image on X. Many did not find the image funny.

“We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter,” the New York State Catholic Conference wrote on X. “Do not mock us.”

Trump’s vice president, J.D. Vance, wrote on X that he was OK with the image of Trump as pope. Vance was not raised Catholic but was baptized into the faith in 2019. “As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes,” Vance wrote.

What is the conclave?

The word “conclave” is familiar to many non-Catholics now, thanks to the Hollywood feature film Conclave, which was released in 2024 and is available to watch on streaming services.

The Vatican News, the official communications outlet of the Vatican, posted on X on Wednesday that all nonessential personnel had left the Sistine Chapel so the cardinals could vote in private. The account shared a video of the chapel’s heavy doors being dramatically shut.

Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope

The voting takes as long as it takes

Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors, and the vote tally is never made public.

A conclave can take days or even weeks to conclude. In the 13th century, it reportedly took three years to choose a pope, but modern conclaves have been much shorter. Pope Francis was elected in 2013 on the fifth ballot on the second day of the conclave.

There can only be two rounds of voting per day, and a candidate needs two-thirds of the votes, plus one to be elected. If that majority isn’t reached after three days of voting, the process pauses so the cardinals can pray and discuss their options, CBS News reports. 

This time, the new pope was selected after two days of voting.