On May 8, 2025, Robert Francis Prevost was elected the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. At 69 years old, Prevost becomes the first American-born Pope, marking a significant moment in the history of the papacy. He is also the second Pope from the Americas, following Pope Francis, and the first Augustinian to lead the Church.
Born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martínez, Prevost’s early life was shaped by his French, Italian, and Spanish heritage. He attended the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers before pursuing a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, graduating in 1977.
In 1977, Prevost entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.) and took his first vows in 1978. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and later studied Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. In 1982, at the age of 27, he was ordained a priest in Rome.
Prevost’s early missionary work took him to Peru, where he served in various roles for over a decade. He worked as a parish pastor, seminary rector, and teacher of Canon Law, Patristics, and Moral Theology in the Archdiocese of Trujillo. In 1999, he was elected Provincial Prior of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, and later, he served as Prior General of the Augustinian Order from 2002 to 2008.
In 2014, Prevost was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo by Pope Francis and was consecrated as a bishop in December 2014. He became the Bishop of Chiclayo in 2015 and was later involved in several high-level positions within the Vatican. He served as a member of the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Clergy, and was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.
In 2024, Pope Francis elevated Prevost to the rank of Cardinal, assigning him the Titular Church of Saint Monica. His work as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops included key responsibilities such as overseeing the appointment of bishops worldwide and participating in the Synod of Bishops.
Prevost took the name Pope Leo XIV, after Pope Leo XIII who was Italian, born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci born 2 March 1810 and died 20 July 1903. Pope Leo XIII was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any documented pope and the third-longest verified reign, behind those of Peter the Apostle (if including unverified reigns), Pius IX (his immediate predecessor), and John Paul II.
