A new pope has been elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church. 

The moment was marked by white smoke billowing from a chimney above the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV from Chicago, who worked for years in Peru, has appeared on the balcony above St Peter’s Square to greet the thousands of faithful.

Today, Andrew West, host of the ABC’s Religion and Ethics Report, on what we know about the first American pope and what his election means for the future of the church.

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Andrew West, host of the ABC’s Religion and Ethics Report