Habemus Papam! Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost chosen as the new pope

Pope Leo XIV photo over a photo of St. Peter's Basilica

For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church, an American has been selected as the leader of the Catholic Church. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, age 69, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, has been elected the 266th successor to St. Peter. He has chosen the name Leo XIV.

Prior to his election as pope, then-Cardinal Prevost served as the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the appointment of bishops around the world. He was also archbishop emeritus of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru.

Appearing on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica around 1:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. in Rome), Pope Leo XIV waved to the thousands who filled St. Peter's Square as they chanted "Viva, il papa!" He then addressed the crowds, first saying, in Italian, "Peace be with you all!"

"This was the first greeting of the resurrected Christ, the Good Shepherd who has given up his life for God. And I should also like this greeting of peace to enter our hearts and your families and to all people, wherever they are," he said.

The new pope then paid tribute to his predecessor, Pope Francis, saying he wanted to follow up on Pope Francis's final Easter blessing.

"God loves us. God loves everyone! Evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Therefore, without fear, united, hand in hand with God and amongst ourselves, let us go forward," he said. "We are the disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light."

The new pope also called for unity saying, "We have to seek together to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges," and he said that the Catholic Church must be a synodal Church, "one which goes forward and which always seeks peace, charity, and to be close to those who suffer."

With his election occurring on May 8, the Feast of Our Lady of Pompei, the pope then led the crowd in praying the Hail Mary, before he issued the traditional, first Urbi et Orbi blessing.

Pope Leo XIV was chosen by the cardinal electors on the evening of the second day of the conclave. Cheers went up from St. Peter's Square shortly after noon (6 p.m. in Rome) when white smoke rose from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel. About an hour later, Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti pronounced the words millions of Catholics around the world were waiting to hear: "Habemus Papam!" ("We have a pope!"). He then announced the name of the cardinal chosen and the name that the new pope had selected. A short time later, Pope Leo XIV appeared for the first time.

Why did he choose the name Leo?

According to Vatican News, Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said that the pope's decision to be called Leo XIV was a deliberate reference to Pope Leo XIII, who wrote the 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which stresses that the "true worth and nobility of man lie in his moral qualities" and addresses workers' rights and an individual's right to own property. It is considered the beginning of the Church's modern social teaching.

Biography

Born September 14, 1955, Pope Leo XIV is one of three sons born to Louis Marius Prevost, who is of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martinez, who is of Spanish descent. His father was a WWII Navy veteran and school superintendent. His mother was a librarian, who was active in the church. Pope Leo grew up in Dolton, a suburb of Chicago, and his family were members of St. Mary of Assumption Parish located in Chicago's south side. There, he was an altar boy and attended elementary school.

He graduated from Villanova University in Pennsylvania with a degree in mathematics in 1977 and entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine that same year. He then received a degree in theology from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago before being sent to Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University (also known as the Angelicum). He was ordained to the priesthood at the Augustinian College of Saint Monica in Rome in 1982.

Pope Leo XIV spent much of his career as a missionary serving in South America. After receiving his licentiate from the university, he was sent to the mission of Chulucanas in Piura, Peru. From there, he served at the mission of Trujillo as director of the joint formation project for Augustinian candidates from three vicariates. He continued to minister in the Archdiocese of Trujillo until 1998, serving in several capacities including as judicial vicar and as a professor at the major seminary.

In 1999, he returned to the United States after being elected provincial prior of the Augustinian Province of "Mother of Good Counsel" in Chicago, and two and a half years later, he was elected prior general, serving as the head of the Order of Saint Augustine until 2013.

He returned to the Augustinian Province in Chicago in October 2013, serving as director of formation at the Saint Augustine Convent, but a year later, Pope Francis appointed then-Father Prevost to be apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, and Titular Bishop of Sufar. He was ordained a bishop n December 12, 2014, on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He was then appointed bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo in September 2015.

While still serving in Peru, Pope Francis named then-Bishop Prevost as a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy in 2019 and the Dicastery for Bishops in 2020. In 2023, Pope Francis called then-Bishop Prevost to Rome to lead the Dicastery for Bishops. He was also named president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He was first elevated to be an archbishop and then was created a cardinal in September of that year.

Pope Leo XIV became a citizen of Peru in 2015 and has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Peru. He speaks English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Statement from Bishop James Ruggieri

On behalf of the faithful of the Diocese of Portland, I share with you the great joy of our Church at the election of Pope Leo XIV as our new Holy Father. As the successor of St. Peter, he now carries the sacred responsibility of shepherding the Church and leading us in the mission of proclaiming the Gospel and building up the body of Christ. I invite all of us to pray for our new pope as he begins this important ministry, that the Holy Spirit may guide and strengthen him in his service to the Church and the world.