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! ”

Following the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff elected from the U.S., American cardinals shared their reaction to the new leader of the church.