Pope Leo XIV is the first North American to lead the Catholic Church. But he was not considered to be in the top 10 likely candidates to succeed Pope Francis, in part due to his nationality.
There had been an assumption that an American pope would mean too much power concentrated in the world's most dominant superpower.
So why did the conclave pick Cardinal Robert Prevost - and what does it mean for the future direction of the Catholic Church?
To discuss this on today's Sky News Daily with Niall Paterson are Barbara Serra, who has been covering the conclave for Sky News, and Father Thomas Massaro from New York's Fordham University.
Producer: Natalie Ktena
Editor: Wendy Parker