In a shocking vote that caught the Catholic world by surprise, the College of Cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost, 69, the 267th pope on Thursday (May 8). He is the first United States citizen to become the bishop of Rome.
The Chicago-born Prevost has chosen to take the name Pope Leo XIV, signaling a kinship with the 19th-century Pope Leo XIII, who was known for opening the doors of the church to the world and made Catholic social teaching a central issue during his pontificate.
As he walked out of the loggia onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the cheering crowd in the square below, the new pope said, “Peace be with you all!” Remembering the Easter season being celebrated in the church, he added, “I would like this greeting of peace to reach all people, in the entire world.”
‘All in the hands of God’
At the new pope’s mention of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died April 21, the crowd roared, and the new pope reminded them: “We are all in the hands of God. Hence, without fear, united hand in hand with God and with each other, we go forward. We are disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us!”
Prevost is a former head of the Order of St. Augustine, and was the only member of the ancient order in the conclave. In his role as prior general from 2001 and 2013, Prevost traveled widely, gaining hands-on experience of the demands and priorities of the many countries where the Augustinians serve.
He graduated from Villanova University and Catholic Theological Union but has spent much of his career outside the U.S., having served from 2015-2023 as the archbishop of Chiclayo in Peru, where he also holds citizenship. He couples his pastoral experience working in parishes and heading a diocese with a keen understanding of church law. He holds a degree in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, a positive for a pope who will face many legal and procedural issues as pope.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Claire Giangravé and originally published by Religion News Service.
