Leo XIV, the 'Latin Yankee', to celebrate first mass as pope

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost addresses the crowd on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in the Vatican, on May 8, 2025. [AFP]

Pope Leo XIV will celebrate mass Friday, the day after becoming the first US head of the Catholic Church, with the world watching for signs of what kind of pope he will be.

Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost became on Thursday the 267th pope, spiritual leader to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, after a secret conclave by his fellow cardinals in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.