Robert Prevost ousted Cardinal Pietro Parolin in the fourth round of the conclave and gained the cross-sectional support of progressive, moderate, and some conservative cardinals to surpass the two-thirds threshold (89 votes) and become Pope Leon XIV.
Parolin, the Secretary of State of the Vatican who was the favorite, was still ahead of Prevost in the third round of voting (49 to 38) held after noon on Thursday, as reported by Il Corriere della Sera. The Italian, who also served as the president of the conclave, apparently realized that he would not be able to surpass the 50-vote threshold and stepped back to allow the sorpasso of what is now the first North American pontiff (with Spanish, Italian, and French blood).
The outcome was similar to that of Pope Francis when he surpassed the then favorite, Archbishop of Milan Angelo Scola, in the fifth round of voting in 2013. Leon XIV prevailed in the same way, also on the second day but in the fourth round of voting, demonstrating his appeal among the cardinals, also taking advantage of being widely known for his work at the Congregation for Bishops.
Prevost stood out from the beginning ahead of the other papabili who stood out in the prelude to the conclave, such as the Italians Pizzaballa and Zuppi, the Filipinos Tagle and David, the French Aveline and Vesco, the Maltese Greck, or the Hungarian Erdö. His pastoral work as a missionary in Peru and his closeness to Francis made him in the eyes of the conclave a "continuer," albeit more moderate in his positions and therefore more acceptable to a broad majority of the conclave.
After the urbi et orbi blessing that marked the beginning of his pontificate, with a conciliatory message in Italian (and Spanish) that earned him the nickname "the Pope of peace," Leon XIV will officiate his first mass before the cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on Friday. On Sunday, he will share the Regina Coeli prayer with tens of thousands of faithful from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, and on Monday, he will meet with the media for the first time.
His election has sparked both enthusiasm and skepticism in American Catholic forums. "The Church has chosen an anti-Trump Pope," declared Steve Bannon, former advisor to the Republican president. Activist Laura Loomer, one of the most notable voices of the MAGA tribe, dismissed Prevost as "a total Marxist like Pope Francis."
The comment "J.D. Vance is wrong," directed at the American Vice President, has made him a target of conservative Catholics. "Jesus does not ask us to rank our love for others," Prevost clarified before being elected Pope, in response to Vance's words criticizing the far left for turning the concept of love for neighbors upside down and putting family last.
Son of immigrants, with dual American and Peruvian nationality, Prevost also supported Pope Francis' criticisms of Trump's deportations, although Trump has expressed that it will be "a great honor" to meet with him. More moderate than Francis on social issues, especially on the role of women in the Church, it is expected that Leon XIV's pontificate may be less political, although marked by his conciliatory tone and the Augustinian creed of unity that characterized his first speech: "Peace is loved, humble, and persevering, it comes from God, who loves us all unconditionally."