We're talking popes! American Prevost will be the new head of the Church.
The new pontiff will have to confront growing secularization and address debates such as sexual abuse and the role of homosexuals in the Church.
BarcelonaThe bells rang in St. Peter's in the Vatican: the Catholic Church now has a new pontiff. Finally, it will be the American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. The name chosen as pope will be Leo XIV. He is, therefore, one of the supporters of Pope Francis's reformist line.
The cardinals only took four ballots to agree on who will replace Francis. It took them roughly the same amount of time to reach an agreement as it had in the two previous conclaves: Francis was elected in the fifth round of voting and Benedict XVI in the fourth.
The new pope takes the reins of the Vatican with several thorny issues and debates on the table: the growing secularization of society—especially in Western countries—the role of women and the place of homosexuals, growing inequalities throughout the world, the scourge of sexual abuse within the affliction of sexual abuse.
After the bells rang, the new Pope went from the Sistine Chapel to the so-called Hall of Tears, to dress and present himself to the world from the balcony of the basilica in Piazza Sant Pere, where nearly 300,000 people are gathered, waiting expectantly.
The new pontiff has obtained at least 89 votes, that is, two-thirds of the 133 cardinal electors.
