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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- Apostolic Journey to Lebanon: Day Two, from Beirut to Bkerkéon December 1, 2025 at 8:04 pm
Pope Leo XIV marks the second day of his Apostolic Journey to Lebanon with visits to the local Church, a meeting with the nation’s religious leaders, and a festive celebration with young people. Read all
- Lebanese youth: Pope Leo is like a ‘big brother’ bringing peaceon December 1, 2025 at 7:48 pm
Lebanese young people share their thoughts about the Pope’s meeting with them at the square in front of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch in Bkerké on December 1, and explain what life is like as a young person in a country that has faced multiple crises in the last decades. Read all
- Pope to young people: There is still time to dream, plan, and do goodon December 1, 2025 at 5:00 pm
Meeting with young people in Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV urges them not to give into despair, rather to cultivate friendships rooted in genuine love and to keep the enthusiasm that is needed “to change the course of history.” Read all
- Pope: Lebanon stands as witness to interreligious dialogueon December 1, 2025 at 3:35 pm
At an ecumenical and interreligious encounter in Beirut, Pope Leo XIV upholds the Catholic Church’s desire to foster dialogue inspired by divine love, so as to affirm the dignity of every human being. Read all
- Franciscan Sisters of the Cross: Pope Leo’s visit to our Hospital is “a miracle”on December 1, 2025 at 1:20 pm
Sister Mary Youssef, Secretary General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross who run the Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross in Lebanon, talks about the joy of the sisters in welcoming Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the medical center on December 2. Read all