Robert Francis Prevost, 69, has become the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter and he will be known as Leo XIV. He is the first American to fill the role of pope, although he is considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru.

Pope Leo XIV appealed to the world's major powers for "no more war", in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter's Square since his election as pontiff. The new pope, elected on May 8, called for an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all Israeli hostages.

A formal Mass to mark the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV will take place on May 18 in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican announced the day after stunning the world with the election of the first pope from the United States in the Church's history.