Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has been elected the 267th pope and has stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Prevost, 69, from Chicago, Illinois, is the first ever pope from the United States.
Cardinals took two days to select a new pontiff, matching the timeline from the previous two gatherings and suggesting that Prevost quickly impressed his peers during the secretive process. …CONTINUE READING
Francis and Benedict XVI were both revealed in the evening of the conclave’s second day, while John Paul II, the longest-reigning pope of modern times, was selected on the third day in 1978.
Here are 12 things to know about the first American Pope
1. Pope Leo XIV born Robert Francis Prevost, 14 September 1955) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 8, 2025.
2. He is the first Pope born in the United States and North America.
3. Prevost spent the early part of his career there working for the Augustinians. He served in Peru from 1985 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1998 as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher and administrator. He was made a cardinal in 2023.
4. On May 8, 2025, he was elected Pope, choosing the papal name Leo XIV.
5. He completed his secondary studies at the minor seminary of the Order of St. Augustine in 1973.
6. Prevost earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics at Villanova University in 1977.
7. Prevost speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German.
8. In 1998, Prevost was elected provincial of the Augustinian Province of Chicago and returned to the United States to assume that position on March 8, 1999.
9. In 2001, Prevost was elected to a six-year term as Prior General of the Augustinians. He was elected to a second six-year term in 2007.
10. On November 3, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo and titular bishop of Sufar.
