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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- Pope at Regina Caeli: ‘Anticipate heaven on earth’on May 3, 2026 at 10:52 am
At the Regina Caeli prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo says that faith “frees our hearts from the anxiety of having and achieving”, and calls on Christians to “reveal to all that fraternity and peace are our calling.” Read all
- Pope remembers journalists who lost their lives due to violence and warson May 3, 2026 at 10:48 am
Recalling the annual World Press Freedom Day celebrated on May 3rd, Pope Leo XIV remembers the many journalists and reporters who have become victims due to wars and violence. Read all
- Pope Leo XIV receives first copy of book “Free under Grace”on May 2, 2026 at 6:30 pm
The first copy of the book in Italian, available from Monday, May 4, has been presented to the Pope. The volume contains his writings from when he served as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine. Read all
- Mozambique Bishop appeals for solidarity after church set on fire by jihadistson May 2, 2026 at 5:32 pm
Jihadists have attacked another parish in Mozambique, in the province of Cabo Delgado. Bishop Juliasse Ferreira Sandramo calls for international solidarity, saying that “for nine years churches and chapels have been destroyed and burned.” Read all
- Pope ordains four bishops for Rome: Be men of peace and unityon May 2, 2026 at 3:43 pm
Pope Leo XIV, Bishop of the Diocese of Rome, ordains four priests as auxiliary bishops, urging them to remain available to all, to proclaim God’s closeness, and to rekindle hope. Read all