The dope on the Pope

The Catholic Church now has its newest pope, after Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the 267th pontiff, becoming Pope Leo XIV.

Many Catholics are hoping the American will act as a unifying figure, bringing together different factions.

Seen as a moderate with some progressive stances, the new pope is not expected to break significantly from the approach set by the late Pope Francis.

On 7 May, 133 cardinals filed into the Sistine Chapel to begin their voting. In the late afternoon on 8 May, white smoke billowed out from the chapel's chimney, signalling the selection of a new pope after the fourth round of voting.

With voting stretching over just two days, this year's conclave is comparable in length to those in the most recent past.

Prior to the mid-19th century, it was typical for conclaves to extend over weeks or even months. The 1740 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XIV, for example, lasted 181 days.

Some of the very first conclaves, such as the ones beginning in 1268 and 1292, even lasted more than two years.

In the past two centuries, however, conclaves have become much shorter affairs. The conclaves that elected Pope Francis in 2013 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 both lasted just two days, while Pope John Paul II's conclave in 1978 was three days.

"Usually, we get a short one because, in some ways, there's an obvious candidate to succeed," said Professor James Kelly, an associate professor in the history of Catholicism at Durham University.

In contrast, in modern times, a longer conclave has typically suggested there were multiple candidates being considered by the cardinals, added Prof Kelly.

Although quite a few names were discussed as possible contenders prior to the conclave, it's clear that the cardinals came to a decision fairly quickly.

"Most cardinals are sensitive to media speculation and would worry about the PR implications of a longer conclave," said Donald Prudlo, a professor of Catholic studies at the University of Tulsa.

The 69-year-old American begins his papacy slightly older than the average pope since the start of the 18th century.

Popes have typically started the role anywhere from early 50s to late 70s, with the mean age being 65.

Fun fact: Popes on average begin their papacy at age 65

The youngest pope since the 16th century shares a name with the newly-elected pontiff. Leo X, who became pope aged 37, was even younger than Jude Law's fictional character Pope Pius XIII in the 2016 television drama The Young Pope.

Despite his youthful age, Pope Leo X's papacy was unexpectedly cut short after he died at 45, his pontificate lasting less than nine years.

Another unusually young pope was Clement VII, who began his papacy at the age of 44 in 1523. He served for just over a decade, during which time King Henry VIII broke away to establish the Church of England after the pontiff refused to annul the monarch's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Born in Chicago, Robert Prevost is the first US pope, the first to come from North America, and the second from the Americas.

Until Pope Francis was elected in 2013, all popes since Pope Zachary in 741 had been European.

Fun fact: Over three-quarters of popes were born within the boundaries of modern-day Italy

Although Robert Prevost was born in the United States, he served in Peru for many years and obtained Peruvian citizenship alongside his American passport in 2015.

As the number of Catholics from continents like South America and Africa has risen, speculation was rife that the cardinals may yet again select a pope from outside Europe as a recognition of the increasing diversity of the church.

With the selection of Pope Leo XIV, these rumblings have been proven true.

Fun fact: The Global Catholic population grew most in Africa & the Americas under Pope Francis

The choice of a pope from outside Europe was likely helped by the efforts of the former pontiff, Pope Francis, to diversify the College of Cardinals. Until Francis appointed more cardinals from other continents, most had always been from Europe.

And cardinals appointed by Francis made up most of those eligible to vote in this year's conclave. Only those younger than 80 years old when the papal seat became vacant could act as "cardinal-electors".

Although there are currently 252 living cardinals, only 135 were eligible as voters, with two absent, leaving 133 cardinals who cast their votes.

Robert Prevost has selected the papal name of Leo XIV, one with a long history among his predecessors.

The most recent pope to use the same papal name was Pope Leo XIII, a progressive pontiff who served from 1878 to 1903.

Among all past popes, the most common papal name has been John, popular for its associations with several key Christian figures, including John the Apostle and John the Baptist. After John, the most common names have been Gregory and Benedict.

Papal names have almost always been taken from past popes or well-known saints. The one name the new pope will almost certainly not have considered, however, is Peter. Saint Peter was the first supreme pontiff of Rome and apostle of Jesus, according to Christian belief.

Taking the name would add the "pressure of expectation," explained Prof Kelly. "You don't want to follow the lead apostle. Who wants to be Peter the second? You know you're never going to quite live up to it."