Leo XIV, new pope

The white smoke arrived at 18:10 on 8 May. The new Supreme Pontiff, aged 69, is originally from the United States. Pope Francis appointed him to the Congregation for the Clergy in 2019 and to the Congregation for Bishops in 2020. In 2023 he was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Born in Chicago, he is the first American pope. With degrees in mathematics, philosophy and theology, he was ordained a priest at the age of 26. Much of his mission has been in Peru, where he served as an Augustinian missionary for more than three decades. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him bishop in Chiclayo (Peru), a position he held until he was called by his predecessor to take up the post of head of the dicastery for bishops.

Leo XIV succeeds Pope Francis, who died last Easter Monday in Rome at the age of 88, after a twelve-year pontificate in which the first Jesuit pope has undertaken many reforms within the Church, and has dedicated himself to the peripheries, He has placed special emphasis on the care of the common home, on indigenous peoples, has given a greater presence to women in the Church, has put the Vatican accounts in order and has given special importance to the fight against paedophilia.

The election was officially announced with the traditional "Habemus Papam", pronounced from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica by the Cardinal Protodeacon. Thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square received the news with excitement and expectation at the beginning of a new chapter for the Church.

This was the conclave with the largest Jesuit presence of the last three conclaves. Specifically, of the 133 cardinal electors, 33 of them belong to religious orders and four are Jesuits: Stephen Chow SJ, Michael Czerny SJ, Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ and Ángel Sixto Rossi SJ. It was also the most international conclave in history, with only 39% of cardinals from Europe.

For Comillas Pontifical University, being a pontifical institution implies a direct link with the Pope and with the universal mission of the Church in the field of education. Under the leadership of the last pontiff, this identity has acquired a renewed meaning, as his vision of an education that fosters human dignity, service to others and the pursuit of the common good coincides with the values that Comillas has promoted, since its foundation, throughout its history. The members of the university community join in the prayer of the universal Church, we give thanks for the election of the new pope and we await with longing and hope for his impulse to our mission.