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 Leo XIV visits Carmelite Sisters in Harissa, Lebanon
    on November 30, 2025 at 6:44 pm

    Pope Leo XIV makes a 30-minute visit to the Carmelite Sisters of the Theotokos in Harissa, on the evening of his first day in Lebanon. Read all  

  • Apostolic Journey to Türkiye: Day Four
    on November 30, 2025 at 6:19 pm

    Pope Leo XIV concludes his Apostolic Journey to Türkiye with a visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral of Istanbul and Divine Liturgy with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Read all  

  • Pope to Lebanese authorities: Blessed are the peacemakers
    on November 30, 2025 at 4:26 pm

    Pope Leo XIV meets with Lebanese civil authorities in Beirut as he begins his Apostolic Journey to Lebanon, urging the country’s young people to speak “the language of hope,” which he said has enabled Lebanon “always to start again.” Read all  

  • Pope Leo: Türkiye has important role for peace in Middle East and Ukraine
    on November 30, 2025 at 3:25 pm

    Aboard the papal plane flying from Istanbul to Beirut, Pope Leo XIV thanks Türkiye’s authorities for their welcome and answers a pair of questions from reporters, expressing his hopes for peace in Ukraine and Gaza and confirming the desire to celebrate the 2033 Jubilee of Redemption in Jerusalem. Read all  

  • A Lebanese welcome for “Baba Liyū”
    on November 30, 2025 at 2:48 pm

    A warm reception marked the arrival of Pope Leo XIV—“Baba Liyū” in Arabic—in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, the second leg of the Pope’s first Apostolic Journey. Read all