The Catholic Church has a new leader—and it’s history in the making.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago-born missionary and Vatican official, has been elected the 267th Pope and has chosen the name Pope Leo XIV. His election was announced from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8, 2025, making him the first American and first North American ever to assume the papacy. The white smoke that traditionally signals a successful papal election rose above the Sistine Chapel at 6:07 p.m. Rome time, followed by the ringing of the bells at St. Peter’s Basilica. Crowds swelled in the square as excitement spread across the Eternal City. At 7:12 p.m., French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti appeared on the central balcony and delivered the historic announcement: “Habemus papam”—we have a pope.

 

 

Born in Chicago on September 14, 1955, Pope Leo XIV holds dual U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. Before his election, he served as the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, a key position under Pope Francis that shaped the appointment of bishops around the world. A missionary at heart, the 69-year-old pope spent over two decades in Peru, serving in both pastoral and leadership roles. In 2014, Pope Francis named him bishop of Chiclayo, and later entrusted him as apostolic administrator of Callao. Before joining the Curia, he also served as the prior general of the Augustinian order from 2001 to 2013. In his work as prefect, Pope Leo was known for promoting humble, service-oriented leadership, discouraging clericalism and encouraging closeness between bishops, their communities, and God. He once told a Chicago audience that Pope Francis selected him for the dicastery precisely because he wasn’t from the Vatican establishment. “He wanted a missionary. Someone from outside,” Leo said. “Someone who would come in with a different perspective.”

Fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and able to read Latin and German, Pope Leo XIV is considered both deeply pastoral and internationally minded. Italian newspaper La Repubblica described him as “cosmopolitan and shy,” yet respected across the ideological spectrum.

 

 

Though his rise has been largely met with enthusiasm, it hasn’t been without controversy. In 2024, a Peruvian TV program reported that he failed to act promptly in a case involving a priest accused of sexual abuse. The diocese issued a firm denial, stating that then-Bishop Prevost had removed the priest from ministry, met with the victims, and submitted a full investigation to the Vatican. Both the Vatican and local prosecutors found insufficient evidence to move forward. Despite challenges, Pope Leo has repeatedly emphasized the need for unity and humility in church leadership. “Divisions and polemics in the Church do not help anything,” he said. “We bishops especially must accelerate this movement toward unity.”

Pope Leo XIV’s election ushers in a new era for the Catholic Church—one with its first American pope, a global vision, and a voice shaped by decades of missionary work.

 

The new Pope makes his first address from the Vatican balcony. 

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