First Thing: Robert Francis Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV as cardinals elect first US pontiff

The new pontiff, Leo XIV, was made a cardinal by the late Pope Francis in September 2023. Photograph: AP

Good morning.

Robert Francis Prevost, the first US cleric to lead the Roman Catholic church, has said “evil will not prevail” as he addressed a crowd of 100,000 pilgrims and tourists in his first speech as Pope Leo XIV from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.