Pope Leo XIV will be the Catholic Church's 267th leader.
VATICAN CITY -- 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.
American Cardinal Robert Prevost was shortly thereafter announced as the 267th pontiff. He chose the name Leo XIV, a senior cardinal deacon announced.
The 69-year-old Chicago native is the first American pope and is seen as a diplomat in the church.
"This is the first greeting of the risen Christ. May the peace be with you," Leo said in Italian in his first remarks as pope. "This is the peace of the risen Christ."
(The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.)
Pope Leo XIV - history-making, the first American Pope. Now, David Muir reports from the Vatican in the breaking, new "20/20" special edition. Watch the premiere of "The American Pope | Leo XIV" tonight at 9/8c on ABC. Stream on Hulu and Disney+
The Vatican released videos of the Room of Tears ahead of the conclave.
In the room, there are vestments in 3 different sizes, depending on the size of the new pope.
The Vatican also released video of the long tables where the cardinals will sit in the Sistine Chapel. Name cards are out, too.
All eyes are on Vatican City Tuesday with just over a day to go until the start of the papal conclave to elect the 267th pope.
It would be "unexpected" if the conclave goes past Friday, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, archbishop of Algiers, told ABC News at the Vatican on Tuesday.
"If on Friday night, the pope is not elected, it will be that something unexpected has happened," Vesco said.
The United States is the home country of 10 of the 133 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope of the Catholic Church. That's more than any nation except Italy, home to 17 of the electors who will gather at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on Wednesday for the conclave that will choose a successor to Pope Francis.
Only four of the American electors actively serve as archbishops in the United States: Timothy Dolan of New York, Blase Cupich of Chicago, Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, and Robert McElroy of Washington. Two are retired archbishops: Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and Wilton Gregory of Washington.
The other four cardinals' careers have included lengthy service at the Vatican: Robert Prevost, James Michael Harvey, Raymond Burke and Kevin Farrell.
In the wake of the death of Pope Francis, the spotlight has been placed on the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church as they gather for a secretive conclave to select the next pontiff.
Many of these clergymen are flocking to social media to share updates with the public, marking a stark difference to the last conclave in 2013 when digital platforms were not as established, according to Gustavo Entrala, a strategic communications consultant who previously worked with Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
While the idea of cardinals posting on social media has been a rising trend within the Catholic Church over the years, Entrala said the type of content has shifted slightly since Francis' death.
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