Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected as the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church, making history as the first American pope. The 69-year-old Chicago native has chosen the papal name Leo XIV, and is widely regarded as a diplomatic figure within the Church.
Born in Chicago in 1955 to Spanish and Franco-Italian parents, Pope Leo XIV was ordained a priest in 1982. In 1985, he moved to Peru, where he spent much of his priestly ministry, gaining Peruvian nationality and becoming known for his work with marginalized communities.
He served for a decade as a parish priest and seminary teacher in Trujillo, Peru. In 2014, he was appointed bishop of Chiclayo by the late Pope Francis, who later called him to the Vatican. In 2020, he was named apostolic administrator of the diocese of Callao.
Since 2023, Pope Leo XIV served as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, overseeing global bishop appointments, and also presided over the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
In a 2024 interview, he emphasized humility in Church leadership, saying, “A bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them and to suffer with them.”
Pope Leo XIV’s background as a missionary, educator, and bridge-builder between cultures signals a continuation of the Church’s global and pastoral mission.