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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- Augustinian Prior General: Pope Leo XIV is ‘truly close to everyone’on May 8, 2025 at 7:40 pm
Fr. Alejandro Moral, Prior General of the Augustinians and a long-time friend of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, tells Vatican News that the new Pope “immediately spoke of justice and peace and of bridges between all, of synodality.” Read all
- Archbishop Broglio welcomes Pope Leo XIV: ‘A shepherd for a troubled world’on May 8, 2025 at 7:38 pm
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, expresses joy and gratitude following the election of Pope Leo XIV. Read all
- The election of Pope Leo XIVon May 8, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Watch special moments leading up to the election of Pope Leo XIV. Read all
- Matteo Bruni: Pope Leo XIV’s name choice highlights the Church’s missionon May 8, 2025 at 7:21 pm
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, describes Pope Leo XIV’s first message to the world as a call to peace and dialogue. He also highlights the significance of his name as a clear reference to the Church’s social teaching in the modern age. Read all
- Biography of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevoston May 8, 2025 at 6:28 pm
Prior to his election as Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. Here is the biography of the 267th Bishop of Rome. Read all