Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected the new pope, set to succeed the late Pope Francis and mark the first time an American has served as pope.

He took the name Leo XIV and emerged from the balcony of St. Peter’s Square to introduce himself, just more than an hour after white smoke emanated from the Sistine Chapel to signal his election.

The selection of an American pope is a historic one that breaks the norms of the Catholic Church. The idea of an American pope has historically been considered a long shot because cardinals typically pick leaders from non-superpower nations.

The first........

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