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
- At least 50 Sudanese refugees killed in boat fire near Libyaon September 17, 2025 at 3:18 pm
At least 50 people have died after a fire on a refugee vessel near Libya. Separately, an Italian humanitarian organisation has submitted new evidence to a court in Sicily detailing human rights violations by EU-supported Libyan military personnel. Read all
- Niger: Scores die in terrorist attack on baptism ceremonyon September 17, 2025 at 3:12 pm
22 people were killed in western Niger when gunmen attacked participants in a baptism ceremony before continuing their killing spree in Takoubatt village. Read all
- Hundreds of thousands flee as Israel expands Gaza offensiveon September 17, 2025 at 1:14 pm
Israel says it’s struck more than 150 targets in Gaza City since it ramped up its ground assault on Tuesday. Read all
- Tanzanian-born former Holy See diplomat dies in Romeon September 17, 2025 at 12:44 pm
Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, former Apostolic Nuncio, has died in Rome at the age of 67, leaving behind a legacy of charity and service in the many countries to which he was sent as a papal representative. Read all
- Truth, Unity, and Love: The Augustinian Spirit of Pope Leo XIVon September 17, 2025 at 11:30 am
Marking Pope Leo XIV’s saint’s day on 17 September, the head of the Augustinian Province of St Thomas of Villanova says the Pope “is a man of prayer who listens to God and to people.” Read all