Cardinals choose pope from America for the first time in history

A historic moment was made even more so when the new pope was revealed to be from the U.S. for the first time in the millennial history of the Catholic church.

U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was chosen by the conclave of cardinals on Thursday and appeared to the faithful from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. He chose the name Leo and became Pope Leo XIV.

His first words were, 'Peace be with you all.'

Leo is 69 years old and was born in Chicago, Illinois. He spent much of his career ministering in Peru. He was ordained at age 27 and is an alumnus of Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

His first words were, "Peace be with you all."

He spoke in Italian and then switched to Spanish during his first address in Rome to tens of thousands of the faithful. He is a member of the Order of St. Augustine, a church father from the fourth century.

The 133 cardinals met at Vatican City after mourning the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 years in April.

President Donald Trump responded positively to the announcement.

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope," he said on social media. "It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”

It is estimated that 1.4 billion people adhere to the Catholic faith. About 20% of Americans identify as Catholic.

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