Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope on May 8, 2025 (local time), taking the name Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV is the Church’s first Augustinian Pope, and the first born in North America.

The future Pope was born and raised in Chicago in the United States in 1955. At 27, he was sent to Rome to study Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). Later, he served a mission in Peru, and became the Bishop of Chiclayo.

In 2023, then-Pope Francis called him to Rome to serve as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Later appointed by Francis as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, he became a Cardinal in 2024.

When Pope Francis was hospitalised in early 2025, the future Pope Leo XIV presided over the Rosary for Pope Francis’s health in Saint Peter’s Square.

A Pope of peace

Pope Leo XIV calls us to pray for peace in a world in the midst of storms. The new Pope’s first words when addressing the world from the Central Loggia of St Peter’s Basilica not long after his election were “Peace be with you!”

He also said:

“God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs His light. Humanity needs Him like a bridge to reach God and His love. You help us to build bridges with dialogue and encounter so we can all be one people always in peace.”

Social links to Vatican news

Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

Vatican News – English News from the Vatican – News about the Church

  • Pope Leo: ‘We are called to serve the People of God with our whole lives’
    on April 2, 2026 at 4:22 pm

    Celebrating the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening in the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran, Pope Leo XIV tells his brother priests that they are to serve the Lord by giving all of their lives to the People of God, and stresses that in this time of great brutality around the world, we, too, are to kneel alongside the oppressed and all in need. Read all  

  • Cardinal Pizzaballa on Maundy Thursday: ‘We are here to celebrate life’
    on April 2, 2026 at 3:55 pm

    The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, presides over the In Coena Domini Mass behind closed doors in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. He says that at a time marked by tensions that cannot be ignored, “we are here as within a womb of peace, while around us the world is torn apart, and we wish we could change all of this.” Read all  

  • In its 5th week Iran war shows no sign of abating
    on April 2, 2026 at 2:12 pm

    As the US President threatens to bomb Iran back to the “Stone Ages”, American and Israeli forces step up attacks on the country, and Tehran says it will continue to fight back. Read all  

  • Holy Land Custos: ‘Renouncing violence is not weakness’
    on April 2, 2026 at 1:29 pm

    As violence continues unabated in Palestine and Israel, the Custos of the Holy Land stresses that “true strength lies in the gift of oneself, in the capacity to love until the end”. Read all  

  • Indonesia: Bishop’s call for building priestly fraternity
    on April 2, 2026 at 11:29 am

    At the heart of holy week preparations, the Church in Larantuka gathers for the Chrism Mass, renewing priestly vows and strengthening unity in mission and hope. Read all