Media learned unexpected details about the election of the new Pope

American priest Robert Prevost turned out to be an unexpected choice of the cardinals for the position of Pope. This was reported by Politico citing one of the participants of the historic 2025 conclave who wished to remain anonymous.

According to the publication, the favorites for the papal throne were considered to be representatives of the "old guard" - experienced church diplomats, in particular Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and the pontiff's special envoy to Ukraine Matteo Zuppi, both of Italian origin. Cardinals from Asia and Africa, whom Western observers characterized as "exotic" contenders, also generated significant interest.

As historian and Vatican expert Alexei Yudin had previously emphasized, an unprecedented number of cardinals appointed personally by Pope Francis participated in the vote, which became an absolute record in the entire history of conclaves.

The newly elected Pope Leo XIV took the throne after the death of Francis (secular name - Jorge Mario Bergoglio), who passed away on April 21, 2025, after a long illness at the age of 88. Francis led the Catholic Church since 2013, accepting the ministry after the voluntary abdication of his predecessor Benedict XVI, who left the papal throne due to health problems.