Pope Leo XIV live updates: Cardinal hopes Pope Leo will 'build a bridge' with Trump

The new pope was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, formed in the 13th century as a community of "mendicant" friars dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization.

The order's requirements and ethos are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity.

The order works in about 50 countries, according to its website, promoting a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has become the first-ever American elected as the leader of the Catholic Church -- now known by his pontifical name of Pope Leo XIV.

The 69-year-old, born on the Southside of Chicago, is seen as a diplomat of the church and was an important adviser to his predecessor, Pope Francis.

Go here for everything we know about the newly announced Pope Leo XIV.

Father James Martin, a papal contributor to ABC, said he knows Pope Leo, formally Cardinal Robert Prevost, describing him as "very-down-to-earth."

Martin told ABC News the new pontiff is a "very kind person, very reserved."

Martin previously said days before the conclave's start that the American cardinal was a front-runner for the papacy.

In his first words, Pope Leo XIV, history's first American pope Robert Prevost, said "Peace be with you."

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of the U.S., emerges from the Vatican balcony.

From the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, he recalled that he was an Augustinian priest, but a Christian above all, and a bishop, "so we can all walk together."

He spoke in Italian and then switched to Spanish, recalling his many years spent as a missionary and then archbishop of Chiclayo, Peru.