Southern California Catholics joined parishioners from around the world Thursday to celebrate a historic moment with the election of the first pope from the United States.
Formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost chose the name Leo XIV and emerged from the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica to a cheering crowd as the 267th pope to lead the Catholic Church. The Chicago-born Prevost, who at a relatively young 69 could serve for decades, was in charge of the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru until 2023, when Francis brought him to Rome.
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WATCH HEREViva Papa! Viva Papa Leo XIV! pic.twitter.com/pK08XEPvwT
— Archdiocese of LA (@lacatholics) May 8, 2025
He was prefect of the Vatican’s powerful dicastery for bishops, in charge of vetting nominations for bishops around the world. He also served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, which keeps him in regular contact with members of the Church in that part of the world.
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SIGN UP Archbishop José H. Gomez spoke Thursday on the election of Pope Leo XIV and his history in Latin America.
"He knows Latin America, which is very important to all of us in Los Angeles," said Archbishop Gomez. "It is a beautiful day in the life of the Catholic Church and the life of everyone on Earth."
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles shared word of the selection of the new pope, posting on social media, "LA Catholics give thanks to God for His Holiness Pope Leo XIV."
Earlier Thursday, the crowd outside the Basilica erupted in cheers at the sight of white smoke pouring from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, indicating a new pope had been chosen on the second day of the papal conclave.
The conclave began Wednesday, a day that ended with black smoke billowing out of the chapel chimney, signaling no pope had been chosen. Some of the cardinals had said they expected a short conclave, but recent history suggested a few rounds of voting would be necessary.
For much of the past century, the conclave has needed between three and 14 ballots to find a pope. John Paul I — the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 — was elected on the fourth ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight.
Watch live in St. Peter's square as we await our new #pope!
— Archdiocese of LA (@lacatholics) May 8, 2025
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Watch: https://t.co/nPhrnI1XwL pic.twitter.com/5p6r6Nzoao
Pope Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.
Francis, a former archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the first Latin American pontiff, died April 21 in the Vatican at age 88 -- one day after Easter. He served as pope for 12 years.
A pair of Francis' shoes were put on display at the downtown Los Angeles cathedral. The shoes were a gift from the late pope to Noel Díaz, an evangelist and journalist from Los Angeles.
Archbishop Gomez said Francis "was always very close to all of us here at the archdiocese Los Angeles. He sent us a beautiful message during the wildfires, and he was always in touch with us."
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles comprises a vast region of Southern California spanning three counties, Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara. As of 2005, the total Roman Catholic population within the Archdiocese stood at 4.3 million. There are 288 parishes in 120 cities.
