The 267th pope has been elected! Robert Prevost becomes the first American pope, yet he faces controversy over his handling of gender diversity and church scandals.

From May 7, 133 cardinals gathered in the Sistine Church for the election of the Pope. According to Vatican News, after the 4th round of elections, the 267th pope was finally elected. White smoke rose from the Chimney of the Sistine Church at 6:07 p.m. local time on the 8th. The faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square showed excitement, and the deacon-rank Chief Cardinal, Dominique Mamberti, announced from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica that we have a new pope.

The papal secret meetings have a history of a hundred years.

The new pope must be elected by a secret meeting ( Conclave ). The secret meeting has a history of a hundred years, named after the Latin word cumclave ( which means locked with a key ), symbolizing strict isolation from the outside world to ensure the fairness of the election. The papal electoral body is composed of cardinals. Among the 252 cardinals, 133 are under the age of 80. According to regulations, only cardinals under 80 years old are eligible to participate in the election, referred to as cardinal electors.

During the voting, the cardinal electors will write their preferred candidate for pope on the ballot. After the first round of voting on the afternoon of the first day, if no one is elected, a maximum of 4 rounds of voting will be conducted each day starting the next day, until the afternoon of the second round.

The election condition is as follows: if a candidate receives a two-thirds majority of all votes, they are elected as the new pope. After each vote, if no one meets the standard, a maximum of 4 rounds of voting can be conducted each day until a new pope is elected.

The first American pope has a different stance on gender diversity compared to Francis.

The new pope has confirmed that American bishop Robert Francis Prevost will take office. He is the 267th pope of the Catholic Church and the first pope of American descent. Robert Francis Prevost was born in Chicago and is 69 years old. He began his career at the Augustinian order in the area. He has served in Peru and has held positions as a parish priest, diocesan official, seminary teacher, and administrator. The former pope Francis appointed him as a cardinal in 2023.

The New York Times previously introduced Robert Francis Prevost with the article titled "Has there ever been a pope from the United States, can this cardinal change that?" The report describes his similarity to Francis in terms of caring for the poor and immigrants, as well as his way of interacting with people. He has said, "A bishop should not be a little prince sitting in a kingdom." He believes that church leaders should be sincere, humble, and close to the people they serve, walking alongside them and sharing in their sufferings.

Pope Francis is known for his inclusivity towards the LGBTQ+ community; however, a report by The New York Times pointed out that Robert Francis Prevost's views on the LGBTQ+ community are not as inclusive. In 2012, he lamented in a speech that Western news media and popular culture fostered "sympathy for beliefs and behaviors contrary to the Gospel," and mentioned "the homosexual lifestyle" and "alternative families made up of same-sex partners and their adopted children."

While serving as a bishop in Peru, he opposed gender awareness education, stating: "Promoting gender ideology is confusing because it attempts to create genders that do not exist." Additionally, he has also faced criticism for handling cases of priests accused of sexually assaulting minors.

This article is about the 267th Pope being announced! Robert Prevost becomes the first American Pope, yet he faces controversy over handling issues related to gender diversity and church scandals. Originally appeared on Chain News ABMedia.