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 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.

The first American pontiff also urged reporters to choose “the path of a communication of peace” in his first address to news media as the leader of the Catholic Church.