Pope Leo XIV
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected by the Conclave as the 267th Bishop of Rome to succeed Pope Francis I on 08 May 2025, henceforth to be known as Pope Leo XIV. His selection marked the culmination of two days, and four rounds of voting by the conclave of 133 cardinals.
The election of Pope Leo XIV marked the first time someone hailing from the United States had been selected to serve as leader to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. 69 years old at the time of his election the Chicago native greeted the crowds from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica with the words: "Peace be with all of you!"
Prior his ascension to the papacy, he had most recently headed the Vatican'soffice for new bishop appointments, the Dicastery for Bishops, where he was tasked with assessing candidates and making recommendations; a position which he had been appointed to by Pope Francis. Francis had also had him serve as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, he had spent much of his earlier career as a missionary.
Prevost earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and a diploma in theology from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. This was followed by a period in Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University before being ordained as a priest in June 1982.
He is a a member of the Augustinian religious order for which he spent more than a decade as its prior general.
Prevost spent a decade in Trujillo, Peru, and was later appointed bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, from 2014 to 2023
He became a Peruvian citizen in 2015.
Tthe choice of papal title as Leo XIV, was said by some observers to be in clear reference to Pope Leo XIII and his Rerum novarum (Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor) 15 May 1891 encyclical, which addressed the condition of the working classes.
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