Peruvians are elated after a Catholic cardinal who spent years guiding the faithful in the South American country was elected pope and hoped he will visit them soon in his new role.

A formal Mass to mark the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV will take place on May 18 in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican announced the day after stunning the world with the election of the first pope from the United States in the Church's history.

As the United States celebrates the Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost being selected as the next pope, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV spent more than two decades working, is also celebrating the news. The president of Peru declared,