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Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, 69, will lead the Catholic Church as Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first pope from the United States, whom Vatican experts say mirrors his predecessor’s championing of the poor, though he has drawn criticism for his handling of priests accused of sexual abuse.
Key Facts
Prevost was elected after just four ballots on day two of the papal conclave, largely in line with the length of recent conclaves, and he assumes the papacy more than two weeks after Pope Francis died.
Vatican experts have considered Leo XIV more of a centrist than his liberal-leaning predecessor, with CNN’s Vatican analyst Elise Allen stating he is seen as “somebody who is calm and balanced, who is even-handed,” and is known as an “exceptional leader.”
Prior to the papacy, Leo XIV was appointed by Francis as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a powerful position in the Vatican that oversees the appointment of new bishops.
Leo XIV served as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, from 2014 to 2023, and he has spent much of his career in Peru, where he holds citizenship and acted as a missionary and priest.
In his first address as pope, Leo XIV emphasized the need to create a “church that builds bridges, that is always open to receive everyone,” speaking in both Spanish and Italian, while reminiscing on his service in Chiclayo.
Key Background
Leo XIV, 69, is the first American-born pope in the Catholic Church’s history. He was born in Chicago, where he received a diploma in theology from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. He attended Villanova University, where he received a bachelor of science in mathematics. He studied canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University, and he was ordained in 1982. After spending much of his career in Peru, Francis made Leo XIV a cardinal in 2023.
How Might Leo Xiv Be Similar To Francis?
Some Vatican experts have compared Leo XIV’s championing of the poor and migrants to that of Francis. “He’s right out of Francis’s playbook,” Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a history professor at the University of Notre Dame, told the Washington Post, citing his “pastoral heart, managerial experience and vision.” Like Francis, who notably took a modest approach to the papacy, Leo XIV has said “the bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom” and is instead “called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them, to suffer with them.” Vatican experts have also theorized the church has long hesitated to name an American pope because of the United States’ status as a global superpower, fearing the concentration of power, but suggested Leo XIV’s service in Peru would make him globally minded. “He’s somebody that, even though he’s from the West, would be very attentive to the needs of a global church,” Allen told CNN.
Further Reading
First American Pope Named: Robert Francis Prevost Elected As Pope Leo XIV (Live Updates)
