On the second day of the 2025 Conclave, after the passing of the first Jesuit Pope, Pope Francis, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV.
The Chicago-born American is the first Pontiff to come from the United States. Though an American by birth, his Peruvian ancestry and service fit a globalized Church. He served as Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru and was Superior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, a prominent order of lay Catholics and clergy members.
In Rome, he was selected as Prefect for the Dicastery for Bishops in Jan. 2023, assisting Pope Francis in choosing and confirming new Bishops around the world. In consideration of his role in the Church, Pope Francis announced Prevost’s appointment as Cardinal on Sept. 30 of that year. This makes him one of the more recent ordained cardinals in the college that made up the 2025 Conclave.
At 69, Pope Leo XIV will be the youngest pope in over 50 years. One of the first statements given by Pope Leo XIV was the Latin “Viva Papa Francesco” to a roaring crowd of tens of thousands of global Catholics in St. Peter’s Square.
