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.”
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- Highlights of Pope Leo’s Apostolic Journey to Monacoon March 28, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Pope Leo departed the Principality of Monaco at 17:30 this afternoon. Here are some highlights from a lightning, one-day trip to Europe’s second-smallest country. Read all
- New data of Annuario Pontificio 2026 shows Catholics growing in Africaon March 28, 2026 at 3:34 pm
New data from the Annuario Pontificio 2026 and Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2024 highlight trends in baptized populations across the five continents, with a remarkable increase in the number of Catholics in Africa. Read all
- Pope at Mass in Monaco: ‘You are called to bear witness to living in peace’on March 28, 2026 at 3:16 pm
During Mass in the Principality of Monaco, Pope Leo XIV urges everyone not to grow “accustomed to the clamor of weapons and images of war,” and insists that the Church in Monaco is called to bear witness to living in peace. Read all
- Hope, doubt, faith: Pope answers questions from young people in Monacoon March 28, 2026 at 12:08 pm
Pope Leo speaks to young residents of Monaco, answering questions on faith and doubt, and urging his listeners to “pour yourselves out completely for the Lord and for others.” Read all
- Pope Leo in Monaco: Christ calls the Church to communionon March 28, 2026 at 10:54 am
Pope Leo XIV invites the Catholic community of Monaco to renew a faith capable of addressing secularism, promoting dignity, and proclaiming the Gospel with creativity and conviction. Read all