BREAKING: Habemus Papam! White Smoke Rises From Chimney of Sistine Chapel

We await the name of our new pope.

Smoke billows out from the chimney atop Sistine Chapel announcing news of the new pope on May 8, 2025.
Smoke billows out from the chimney atop Sistine Chapel announcing news of the new pope on May 8, 2025. (photo: Daniel Ibanez / EWTN)

White smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel today at 6:09 p.m. Rome time, signaling the College of Cardinals has chosen a new pope. Of the 133 cardinals sequestered in the Vatican since May 7, one has now been elected as the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

This story is developing.

Pope Leo XIV appears for the first time after his election on May 8, 2025.

Who Is Pope Leo XIV, the First American Pope?

An Augustinian and a canon lawyer, he spent over a decade ministering in South America before being called back to the U.S. to head the Augustinian Province of Chicago and serve as prior general of the Augustinian order. Pope Francis later called him to Rome in 2023 to head the Dicastery for Bishops.