Pope Leo XIV will be the Catholic Church's 267th leader.
VATICAN CITY -- The temporary chimney atop the Sistine Chapel released a plume of white smoke on Thursday evening local time, signaling that the 133 cardinals working inside had reached a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope for the Catholic Church.
American Cardinal Robert Prevost was shortly thereafter announced as the 267th pontiff. He chose the name Leo XIV, a senior cardinal deacon announced.
The 69-year-old Chicago native is the first American pope and is seen as a diplomat in the church.
"This is the first greeting of the risen Christ. May the peace be with you," Leo said in Italian in his first remarks as pope. "This is the peace of the risen Christ."
(The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.)
Pope Leo XIV - history-making, the first American Pope. Now, David Muir reports from the Vatican in the breaking, new "20/20" special edition. Watch the premiere of "The American Pope | Leo XIV" tonight at 9/8c on ABC. Stream on Hulu and Disney+
Crowds of people gathered to enter St. Peter's Square for day two of the conclave, hopeful that the first full day of voting by cardinal electors will produce a new pope.
More than 30,000 people gathered in the square on Wednesday to wait for the results of the first round of voting.
As the second day of voting is set to begin, the next person elected pope will need at least 89 votes in order to achieve the majority from the College of Cardinals.
With no majority being achieved last night on the very first vote, Thursday presents up to four voting opportunities -- two in the morning and two in the evening -- bringing with it a possibility that the cardinals might coalesce around one of the candidates.
Cardinals will return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday after the first voting session of the conclave on Wednesday failed to find consensus on who will become the next pope.
The electors are expected to participate in four rounds of voting through the course of the day.
The cardinals will gather for a mass in the Pauline Chapel at around 8 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET), after which they will return to the Sistine Chapel at around 9:15 a.m. (3:15 a.m. ET) to vote.
Two ballot burnings are planned. One is expected at the end of the morning around 12 p.m. (6 a.m. ET) and the second in the evening at around 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET)
-ABC News' Phoebe Natanson, Clark Bentson and Joe Simonetti
Many faithful are hoping that the second day of the conclave will give the church and the world a new pope after a first vote produced dark smoke on Wednesday evening, sending a disappointed crowd to disperse in all directions in Rome.
Earlier, some of the people had started thinking that the long wait was the sign cardinals had reached a decision in a first vote, which would be unprecedented in the modern era.
"They probably need more time," said Costanza Ranaldi, a 63-year-old who travelled from Pescara in Italy's Abruzzo region to be present at the historic moment.
Chiara Pironi, a 26-year-old who lives in Rome, said she would keep returning to St. Peter's Square until a new pope is chosen.
"I don't want to miss that moment," she said.
