The American pope
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost takes the name Leo XIV.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been chosen as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Leo XIV, and proclaiming “Peace be with you all!” in his first greeting to the world.
A native of Chicago, the 69-year-old is the first pope from the United States, though he spent much of his time as a missionary in Peru.
Pope Leo XIV appeared on the loggia overlooking St. Peter’s Square wearing the traditional red mozetta. In a break with custom, he initially read his address from a piece of paper but later spoke extemporaneously.
In his address, given in a confident voice, he spoke of peace, the Resurrection, and the witness of his predecessor Pope Francis.
He referred to his membership of the Augustinian order, citing St. Augustine of Hippo’s saying, “With you I am a Christian and for you a bishop”
In another break with custom, he moved from Italian to Spanish, greeting his former Diocese of Chiclayo.
Returning to Italian, he noted that May 8 is the feast of Our Lady of Pompeii, leading the pilgrims in the square below in the Hail Mary.
He then gave the blessing Urbi et Orbi.
The white smoke signaling the selection of the new pope rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney just after 6 p.m. local time on May 8. The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled in confirmation of the papal election as the crowd cheered in the square below.
Pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square eagerly awaiting the pope’s first appearance waved national flags, held up images of Our Lady, and prayed, as the band of the Gendarmerie of the Vatican City State played their anthem.
The new pope was elected on the fourth or fifth ballot, in a conclave that stretched over two days.
Two-thirds of the eligible cardinals were necessary to select a pontiff. In this case, 89 of the 133 voting cardinals present were needed to decide the next pope.
The new pope’s name was announced by the cardinal protodeacon, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti. The last pope to bear the name Leo — Leo XIII — died in 1903.
When Robert Francis Prevost was growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, a steady stream of priests passed through his family home. They were drawn by the irresistible dishes prepared by his mother, Mildred Martínez, who was of Spanish descent.
Proximity to clergy wasn’t the only reason he considered the priesthood in his youth. There was also the example of his father, Louis Marius Prevost, who had French and Italian roots, and served as a catechist. The youngster also had a positive experience of parish life, serving as an altar boy and attending the parish school.
Once he was convinced of his call to the priesthood, he faced another discernment challenge: should he become a diocesan priest or join a religious order? After wrestling with the decision, he opted to join an Augustinian minor seminary, appreciating the order’s stress on unity, communion, and the teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo.
He was sent to study canon law at the Angelicum in Rome, receiving priestly ordination in the city in 1982 at the hands of Archbishop Jean Jadot, pro-president of the Vatican’s Secretariat for Non-Christians (now the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.)
After completing his studies, he was invited to work in the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas, in northwestern Peru, which had a strong connection with the U.S. Augustinians. He traveled all over the country, taking in the jungle, the mountains, and the coast, sealing a love of the nation that would culminate in him becoming a naturalized citizen. In the space of a decade, Prevost served as a community prior, director of formation, teacher of the professed, judicial vicar, and professor.
In 1999, he was elected provincial prior of the Midwest Augustinians. A year into the role, he permitted a priest who sexually abused minors to live in a Chicago rectory half a block from a Catholic school, at the archdiocese’s request.
In 2001, Prevost was elected prior general of the worldwide Augustinian order, a post he held for two six-year terms.
In 2014, Pope Francis named him apostolic administrator of the Chiclayo diocese, bringing him back to northwestern Peru. A year later, Prevost became bishop of the diocese that covers one of Peru’s biggest cities, as well as shantytowns and rural areas.
Individuals in the Chiclayo diocese would later accuse Prevost of failing in 2022 to open an investigation into their accusations of abuse against two priests. The diocese vigorously denied the claim when the cases made international headlines in 2024.
Prevost was appointed a member of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2020. Later, Pope Francis told him he was thinking of selecting him as the department’s head, making him responsible for the selection of the world’s Latin Rite bishops (except mission territories, covered by the Dicastery for Evangelization.)
Prevost told the pope: “Whether you decide to appoint me or to leave me where I am, I will be happy; but if you ask me to take on a new role in the Church, I will accept.”
Prevost’s attitude was shaped by the vow of obedience he made when he committed himself to the Augustinian order. He had grasped the vow’s importance as a seminarian, when a wise, elderly priest told him: “As a young man, it will be harder for you to live celibacy. But later, you’ll see that living obedience is the most difficult thing.”
Prevost resolved to always do what he was asked, both within the order and the wider Church.
During their conversation about the bishops’ dicastery, Pope Francis asked Prevost to “pray that I make a good decision.” And in 2023, the pope named him prefect, succeeding the Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet. As prefect, Prevost also served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a role for which he was well prepared.
Prevost saw his task as that of identifying men who embodied Pope Francis’ ideals for bishops — prelates with strong relationships with God, their brother bishops, priests, and flocks. His job was complicated by an ever-rising refusal rate among priests tapped to be bishops.
When Prevost received a cardinal’s red hat a few months into his tenure, he expressed regret that he now had so little spare time.
“I consider myself quite the amateur tennis player,” he told an interviewer. “Since leaving Peru I have had few occasions to practice so I am looking forward to getting back on the court.”
Guys, you got your canon lawyer!
Relatively young, has experience in several continents, speaks five languages (reads in two other), degrees in Mathematics, Theology, Canon Law, and great papal name. God bless the Pope!