After two unsuccessful rounds, the cardinals in the Vatican have elected a new Pope – white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

 

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The new head of the Catholic Church is 69-year-old Robert Francis Prevost from Chicago, USA – he will be known as Pope Leo XIV. He is the first American pontiff in history. In his address, the Pope called for building bridges of dialogue to achieve peace. The new pontiff’s approach resonates with that of Pope Francis, who had entrusted Prevost with important missions on several occasions.

 

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Публикация от Vatican News in italiano (@vaticannewsit)

To become the Pope, the new pontiff had to secure at least two-thirds of the votes during the secret ballot. The cardinals wrote the name of their chosen candidate, disguising their handwriting to ensure anonymity. The voting continued until one of the candidates received two-thirds of the votes. The conclaves that elected previous popes – Francis, Benedict XVI, and John Paul II – lasted two to three days. The longest conclave, held in the second half of the 13th century, lasted nearly three years.

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