Pope Leo XIV was elected as the Catholic Church's 267th leader on Thursday. The temporary chimney atop the Sistine Chapel released a plume of white smoke on Thursday evening local time, signaling that the 133 cardinals working inside had reached a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope for the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Sunday blessing as pontiff, calling for unity in a polarized church and appealing to the world’s major powers for peace. He delivered his message to an estimated 100,000 people from the loggia of St.