Reuters
The newly elected, Chicago-born pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, is now on the front balcony to deliver his first speech.
Addressing the cheering crowd in Italian, 69-year-old says: “Peace be with all of you.
“Brothers and sisters dearest, this is the first greeting of Christ resurrected. I would like to offer a greeting of peace to reach your families, all of you, wherever you are. May peace be with you.”
Pope speaks in English and Spanish to thank cardinals and former diocesepublished at 13:34
Pope Leo XIV then thanks the cardinals who elected him during the two-day Conclave.
He briefly pauses as the crowd applauds and cheers.
“We can all walk together towards that homeland God has prepared for us,” he says. “A special greeting to the Church of Rome.”
Provost then switches to Spanish to thank his former diocese in Peru where a loyal people has shared its faith and has given a lot.
Pope Leo is seen as someone who can bridge different worldspublished at 13:41
Aleem Maqbool
Religion editor, reporting from the Vatican
There had been talk that cardinals felt the new pope would need to be someone who would take forward Pope Francis’s legacy of reaching out to those on the margins, but also bring along with him a wide spectrum of those within the Church, including those Pope Francis was sometimes at loggerheads with.
Going into conclave, Cardinal Robert Prevost was thought of by observers as a candidate who could fulfil that role – someone who could be a bridge between different worlds.
The fact the conclave came to a decision in just four rounds of voting suggests the cardinals agreed with that assessment.
