At a conclave with many new members, a swift, stunning consensus built around an unknown to many outside of the church.

Cardinals from 70 countries have gathered at the Vatican to elect a new Pope in the most diverse conclave in history.

The United States is home to 10 of the 133 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope. That's more than any other 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.

His tally was rising with each round of voting, while support for the early front-runner—Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin—was stagnating. A realization weighed visibly on Prevost, said three cardinals who watched his reaction: He was on track to become the 267th pope of the global Catholic Church,

The newly anointed Pope Leo XIV came to the balcony clad in a white cassock topped by a red cape trimmed in ermine and draped in a gold embroidered sash. He clasped his hands in prayer and smiled as the crowds chanted his name, and “ Viva La Papa! ”

Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was chosen as the 267th Pope elected by 133 cardinals locked inside the Sistine Chapel on the second day of their conclave - a process that has been in the cultural zeitgeist recently due to the Oscar-nominated movie of the same name starring Ralph Fiennes.

The next vote will take place at about 17:30 (16:30 BST) - no smoke will signal no decision has been reached, white smoke that there is a new pope

To many, Pope Leo XIV seemed a different sort of American, a man who served the poor of Peru for decades, who spoke Spanish and Italian, and who was close to Pope Francis.