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 to visit Pompeii, Naples, and Lampedusa on pastoral tour of Italyon February 19, 2026 at 12:59 pm
The Prefecture of the Papal Household announces Pope Leo’s pastoral day visits in Italy this year, including Pompeii, Naples, Acerra, Pavia, Assisi, Rimini, and Lampedusa. Read all
- Pope to Rome priests: Rekindle the faith, urgent to proclaim Christ’s promiseson February 19, 2026 at 11:46 am
Pope Leo XIV invites priests of Diocese of Rome to rekindle their gift of the faith, proclaim the Gospel, be close to families and young people, and support one another in priestly fraternity, especially young priests who may feel overwhelmed. Read all
- Regularisation of migrants in Spain: ‘Every person is an end in themselves’on February 19, 2026 at 11:13 am
Amaya Valcárcel, International Advocacy Advisor at Jesuit Refugee Service, speaks to Vatican News about the Spanish government’s recent decision to grant legal residency to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants. Read all
- Pope to Legionaries of Christ: Religious authority is service, not dominationon February 19, 2026 at 10:01 am
Meeting with the General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ, Pope Leo XIV says the role of authority in religious life is to focus the community on Christ, not as a means to dominate members. Read all
- Our sin and the burden of a world that is in flameson February 19, 2026 at 9:13 am
Our Editorial Director reflects on Pope Leo XIV’s homily at Mass on Ash Wednesday and our personal and collective responsibility in a world “that is in flames.” Read all