Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost; September 14, 1955) is head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State. He was elected in the 2025 papal conclave as the successor to Pope Francis.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in the nearby suburb of Dolton, Prevost became a friar of the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and was ordained as a priest in 1982. His service includes extensive missionary work in Peru in the 1980s and 1990s, where he served as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher, and administrator. Elected prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013, he returned to Peru as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and made him a cardinal the same year.

As a cardinal, he emphasized synodality, missionary dialogue, and engagement with social and technological challenges. He also engaged with issues such as climate change, global migration, church governance, and human rights, and expressed alignment with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

A United States citizen by birth, Leo XIV is the first pope to have been born in North America, the first to hold Peruvian citizenship (having been naturalized in 2015), the second pope from the Americas (after his predecessor Francis), and the first from the Order of Saint Augustine. His papal name was inspired by Pope Leo XIII, who developed modern Catholic social teaching amid the Second Industrial Revolution. Leo XIV believes the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, poses "new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor".

Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955 at Mercy Hospital in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, on the city's South Side. Prevost is of African, French, Italian, and Spanish descent. His mother, Mildred Agnes Prevost (née Martínez), was born in Chicago into a mixed-race family of Louisiana Creole descent that had moved to the city from the 7th Ward of New Orleans. She graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor's degree in library science in 1947, and worked as an educator and librarian. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, was also a Chicago native, having grown up in the Hyde Park neighborhood. He was of Italian (his original family name was Riggitano) and French descent and a United States Navy veteran of World War II who first commanded an infantry landing craft in the Normandy landings and later participated in Operation Dragoon in southern France. He later became superintendent of Brookwood School District 167 in Glenwood, Illinois. Prevost has two older brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph.

Known as "Rob" to his family and "Bob" to friends as an adult, Prevost was raised in Dolton, Illinois, a suburb bordering the far South Side. He grew up in the parish of St. Mary of the Assumption in nearby Riverdale, where he went to school, sang in the choir, and served as an altar boy. Prevost aspired to the priesthood from a young age, and would play-act the Mass at home with his brothers.

From 1969 to 1973, Prevost attended St. Augustine Seminary High School, a minor seminary near Saugatuck, Michigan; his brother John recalled how, from the end of eighth grade on (and especially after joining the Order of Saint Augustine) until their later adulthood when leave allowed them to reconnect, Prevost was hardly at home or with their family. At the Augustinian seminary, he earned a letter of commendation for academic excellence, consistently appeared on the honor roll, served as yearbook editor-in-chief, and was secretary of the student council and a member of the National Honor Society. He also participated in speech and debate, competing in Congressional Debate. Most of his classmates left for other options besides the priesthood. Out of several dozen who entered, Prevost was one of only 13 students in his class to graduate.

In 1973, Prevost was going to attend Tolentine College, an Augustinian seminary in Olympia Fields, Illinois, but it closed that same year. He promptly enrolled in Villanova University, an Augustinian college located near Philadelphia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in mathematics in 1977. At Villanova, he took elective courses in Hebrew and Latin (which was seen as unusual because he was not majoring in theology), read the writings of Saint Augustine, and discussed the work of Karl Rahner with other future Catholic priests. Prevost also worked as a cemetery groundskeeper at Saint Denis Roman Catholic Church in Havertown, Pennsylvania, while studying at Villanova.

He returned to his father's native Hyde Park to obtain a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Catholic Theological Union in 1982 and taught physics and math at St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago's Wrightwood neighborhood during his studies. He earned a Licentiate of Canon Law (JCL) in 1984, followed by a Doctor of Canon Law (JCD) degree in 1987, both from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. During this period, he lived in the house of the Order of St. Augustine for the first time and worked on his Italian language skills. His doctoral thesis was a study of the role of the local prior in the Order of Saint Augustine. Villanova University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in 2014.

On September 1, 1977, Prevost joined the Order of Saint Augustine as a novice, residing for one year at Immaculate Conception Church in the Gate District neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. In the summer of 1978, Prevost spent three months in Clinical Pastoral Education at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. He moved to Chicago, and took his first vows on September 2, 1978; he made his solemn vows on August 29, 1981. On September 10, 1981, Prevost was ordained a deacon by Thomas Gumbleton at St. Clare of Montefalco Parish in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. Prevost was ordained a priest in Rome, at the Church of Santa Monica degli Agostiniani by Archbishop Jean Jadot on June 19, 1982.

Prevost joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985, serving as chancellor of the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas (1985–1986). In 1987, after defending his doctoral thesis, he was vocation director and missions director of the Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel in Olympia Fields, Illinois, and worked with the faculty of the Augustinian Novitiate in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, before returning to Peru in 1988. During his time in Peru, Prevost met and appreciated the Dominican priest and theologian Gustavo Gutierrez, a founder of liberation theology. He also learned and mastered the Spanish language during this period.

Prevost spent a decade heading the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo, teaching canon law in the diocesan seminary, serving as prefect of studies, acting as a judge in the regional ecclesiastical court, and working in parish ministry on the city's outskirts. He proved successful in the Augustinians' efforts to recruit Peruvians for the priesthood and leadership positions in the order. He organized support for Venezuelan refugees to Peru despite discrimination against the Venezuelans.

During the Fujimorato era, Prevost criticized the actions of then-President Alberto Fujimori, placing special emphasis on the victims of the Peruvian Army, especially the Colina Group, during the period of terrorism in Peru, as well as on political corruption. In 2017, he criticized President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's decision to pardon Fujimori, and called upon Fujimori "to personally apologize for some of the great injustices that were committed". His years in Peru gave him personal knowledge of political violence and inequality, even going so far as to travel by horse on difficult roads due to his missionary commitments to the isolated communities in the valleys of Lambayeque. He also stood out as a defender of human rights of the population of the Norte Chico region against the violence of the Marxist–Leninist–Maoist guerrilla organization Shining Path.

In 1998, Prevost was elected Prior Provincial of the Order of St. Augustine's Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel based in Chicago, assuming the role on March 8, 1999. In 2000, he permitted James Ray, an Augustinian priest, to reside at St. John Stone Friary in Chicago under supervision. Ray had been suspended from public ministry since 1991 due to credible accusations that he had sexually abused minors. Prevost's placing of Ray in a friary close to a grammar school at St. Thomas Church was the subject of reporting in 2021, prior to his appointment to the Vatican. Ray was moved to other housing in 2002 after American bishops implemented stricter rules.

Elected Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine in 2001, Prevost served two consecutive, six-year terms until 2013. During his tenure as the global head of the Augustinian order, Prevost lived and worked in Rome, but frequently traveled around the world. It was in that capacity that in 2004, he visited Buenos Aires and met Cardinal Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio for the first time. Their early encounters apparently did not go well. Prevost later explained that at the time, he thought he would never become a bishop after Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013, but has declined to reveal what they initially disagreed upon. However, they were able to reconcile their differences before Prevost left Rome for Chicago in 2013.

From 2013 to 2014, Prevost served as director of formation at the Convent of St. Augustine in Chicago, and as first councilor and provincial vicar of the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel.

On November 3, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in northern Peru and the titular bishop of Sufar. He was consecrated on December 12, 2014, at St. Mary's Cathedral in Chiclayo by Archbishop James Green, Apostolic Nuncio to Peru. On September 26, 2015, he was named Bishop of Chiclayo. As required by a 1980 pact between the Holy See and Peru, Prevost became a naturalized Peruvian citizen before becoming bishop. As most of Prevost's prior ministry in Peru was in the cities of Trujillo and Chulcanas, he was unfamiliar to the clergy and laity of this new diocese. Priests of Chiclayo with whom Prevost served and lived noted his Spanish proficiency, which was better than that of American priests who had worked in the region.

On July 13, 2019, Prevost was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Clergy, and on April 15, 2020, he became apostolic administrator of Callao. On November 21, 2020, he joined the Congregation for Bishops. Within the Episcopal Conference of Peru, he served on the permanent council (2018–2020) and was elected president of its Commission for Education and Culture in 2019, also contributing to Caritas Peru. While bishop, he established a diocesan Commission on Integral Ecology and appointed a woman to lead it. Prevost had a private audience with Pope Francis on March 1, 2021, sparking speculation about a new role in Chicago or Rome.

Prevost has been accused of covering up sexual abuse during his time in Chiclayo. In 2022, alleged victims of abuse in 2007 by priests Ricardo Yesquén Paiva and Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles said the Diocese of Chiclayo failed to investigate their case. The Diocese of Chiclayo stated that Prevost followed proper procedures, met with Ana María Quispe and her sisters in April 2022 to personally attend the victims, encouraged them to initiate a civil action, and initiated a canonical investigation, the results of which he sent to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The sisters stated in 2024 that no full penal canonical investigation occurred, and an investigation by América Televisión concluded that the church's investigation was not thorough.

Speaking to the Peruvian newspaper La República while Bishop of Chiclayo, Prevost said: "If you are a victim of sexual abuse by a priest, report it. We reject cover-ups and secrecy; that causes a lot of harm. We have to help people who have suffered due to wrongdoing." Journalist Pedro Salinas [es], who investigated and exposed crimes committed by members of the now-defunct Sodalitium Christianae Vitae—including sexual, physical, and psychological abuse—has argued that Prevost always expressed his support for the victims and was one of the most reliable clerical authorities in Peru, leading Pope Francis to select him as prefect of bishops. Salinas has written that some of the Peruvian clerics linked to the Sodalitium sought to attack and defame Prevost in retaliation for his role in the Sodalitium's dissolution by Pope Francis due to its sexual abuse scandals, as well as Prevost being near to Francis's political theology.

Pope Francis was close to Prevost and advanced his career. On January 30, 2023, Francis appointed Prevost prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops with the title Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo. Prevost expressed a preference to stay in Peru, but nonetheless accepted the appointment to move to Rome.

On September 30, 2023, Francis created Prevost a cardinal with the rank of cardinal-deacon and assigned the deaconry of Santa Monica degli Agostiniani. As prefect, he played a critical role in evaluating and recommending episcopal candidates worldwide, increasing his visibility within the church. These roles elevated his prominence as a papal candidate leading into the conclave. In October 2023, Francis appointed him as a member of seven additional dicasteries, and also named him to the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State.

On February 6, 2025, Francis promoted Prevost to cardinal-bishop, assigning him as titular bishop of the Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano. On February 11, he was appointed to the dignity and rank of Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Order of Malta by Grand Master Fra' John Dunlap. Prevost was active in the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council and participated in the council's meetings in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, in May 2023.

In pre-conclave speculation, Prevost was considered a dark horse compared to more prominent papabili, although he was noted to be an ally of Pope Francis and a possible compromise candidate. His American nationality had been regarded as a potential stumbling block to his candidacy, reflecting unease about enhancing the United States's geopolitical power. Prevost was well aware of this, explaining to a friend by text message: "I'm an American, I can't be elected". Supporters argued that he represented a "dignified middle of the road". While Italian media reported that Prevost had been seen entering Cardinal Raymond Burke's apartment in the days prior to the conclave, such rumors were later reported as false.

Prevost was elected pope on May 8, 2025, the second day of the conclave, on the fourth ballot. White smoke appeared from the Sistine Chapel at 18:07 CEST (UTC+2), signifying to the public that a pope had been chosen. After accepting his election and adopting his papal name, Leo embraced his fellow cardinals upon exiting the Sistine Chapel. Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the cardinal protodeacon, made the traditional Latin proclamation, Habemus papam, announcing Pope Leo XIV to the public for the first time from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica. According to Italian law enforcement, by the time of the habemus papam announcement, right before Pope Leo XIV revealed himself, there were up to 150,000 in the square.

Leo appeared wearing the traditional papal stole and mozzetta, vestments Pope Francis did not wear upon his greeting of the world following his election. He then delivered his first address in Italian and Spanish. He expressed gratitude for the legacy of Pope Francis, and imparted his first Urbi et Orbi blessing in Latin.

Leo XIV is the first pope from the Order of Saint Augustine and the second pope from the Americas (after Pope Francis). The 267th overall pope, he is a dual citizen of Peru and the United States. He is the first American pope, in the sense of being the first born in the United States. He is the second to be a native English speaker, after the English Adrian IV (r. 1154–1159). Leo is also the first pope born after World War II and during the Cold War, and thus the first to be born in the Baby Boomer generation. While Leo is the first pope from the Order of Saint Augustine, six previous popes belonged to other orders which follow the Augustinian Rule.

By electing an American citizen who was also an Augustinian, the conclave avoided the difficult issue of whether a non-Augustinian American pope would have to pay American income tax. Although the federal government of the United States claims worldwide jurisdiction over its citizens' income from any source, the Order of St. Augustine's strict vow of poverty means that its members do not have individual incomes to report, are exempt from US income tax, and typically do not file individual income tax returns.

On May 9, the day after his election, Leo celebrated his first Mass as pope in the Sistine Chapel before the assembled College of Cardinals. During the Mass, he preached against the lack of faith in the world, and spoke of a church that would act as a "beacon that illuminates the dark nights of this world". Media reported that Leo would take up permanent residence in the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace rather than in the Domus Sanctae Marthae where Francis lived.

On May 14, Leo made his first appointment of senior clergy, naming Miguel Ángel Contreras Llajaruna to be auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Callao in Peru.

Leo's inauguration Mass was held on May 18 in St. Peter's Square. During the Mass he received the pallium and his Ring of the Fisherman, before 12 representatives of the people of God, including cardinals and bishops, who vowed obedience to the new pope.

Prevost's regnal name was chosen in honor of Pope Leo XIII (r. 1878–1903), whose encyclical Rerum novarum established modern Catholic social teaching and promoted labor rights. According to the Holy See Press Office director Matteo Bruni, this choice is "clearly a reference to the lives of men and women, to their work – even in an age marked by artificial intelligence."

According to Cardinal Fernando Chomalí of Chile, Leo told him that the choice of papal name is based on his concern about the world's cultural shifts, a type of Copernican revolution involving artificial intelligence and robotics. Chomalí said: "He was inspired by Leo XIII, who amid the Industrial Revolution wrote Rerum novarum launching an important dialogue between the church and the modern world." Leo himself explained that "the church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor."

In a May 2023 interview, Prevost stressed the need for prudence and responsibility on using social media to preclude "fueling divisions and controversy" and doing "damage to the communion of the Church." This view is in line with his tendency to speak "with caution and great deliberation" and "steely determination and clarity" as Christopher White, the Vatican correspondent of the National Catholic Reporter, described him.

The National Catholic Reporter stated that Pope Leo XIV is committed to ecumenism with other Christian denominations. At the Papal inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, he referenced "sister Christian Churches" and prayed for "a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world." Pope Leo XIV's first international trip as pontiff will be to Turkey to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea with other Christians.

The new pope's first message emphasized the greeting of peace of the risen Jesus "who gave his life for God's flock," giving "an unarmed and disarming peace." Leo said he wanted to continue the kerygmatic blessing of Pope Francis: "God cares for you, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God's hands." The themes in his first message included Jesus as light needed by the world, becoming a missionary church through dialogue and openness, fidelity to the Gospel, walking together in synodality, working as a united church for peace and justice, closeness to the suffering, and praying to Mary. Twice he mentioned the need of not having fear, and emphasized God's help to "build bridges" for "all of us to be one people always in peace."

Leo XIV's episcopal motto is In illo Uno unum ("In the One, we are one"). In his first address as pope to the cardinals, Leo declared his "complete commitment" to the ecclesial path traced by the Second Vatican Council. He praised Pope Francis's specification of this path through Evangelii Gaudium, the Joy of the Gospel, and highlighted six "evangelical principles," which he deems as perennial and revelatory of God's mercy: the primacy of Christ in proclamation; the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community; collegiality and synodality; attention to the sensus fidei, the capacity of the whole faithful to sense the faith, especially popular piety; loving care for the least and the rejected; and dialogue with the contemporary world.

Discussing the ordination of women in October 2023, Prevost stated that the "very significant and long tradition of the church" makes it impossible to consider women as priests and that "the apostolic tradition is something that has been spelled out very clearly." By contrast, he observed that the possibility of women deacons has been the subject of two Vatican commissions, demonstrating "openness to giving consideration" to that question. He also cautioned that the ordination of women as deacons "doesn't necessarily solve a problem" and could create new issues. Commenting on Pope Francis's 2023 appointment of three women as members of the Dicastery for Bishops, which he headed, he noted that their perspectives often align with other members but can introduce valuable new viewpoints.

As a cardinal, Prevost was a vocal proponent of synodality, one of Pope Francis's signature initiatives. Prevost suggested that the participation and co-responsibility of all the faithful could address the polarization in the church. In May 2023, Prevost said that episcopal leadership should prioritize faith over administration. The first priority is to "communicate the beauty of the faith, the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus." Also in May 2023, Prevost said he has faith that "the Holy Spirit is [...] pushing us towards a renewal." He stated that all the faithful are "called to the great responsibility of living what I call a new attitude," which is "to listen first of all to the Holy Spirit, to what He is asking of the Church."

During his service in Peru, Prevost was described as an "impeccable dresser" when it came to celebrating the Mass, wearing full vestments even when summer temperatures rose above 85 degrees in Chiclayo.. In August 2024, speaking to a Chicago-area parish, Prevost stated that "liturgy needs to be beautiful to help us, to strengthen us in our faith." Following his election as pope, Leo appeared in the traditional red papal stole and mozzetta, garments which had not been worn by Pope Francis, along with a pectoral cross containing relics of Augustinian saints such as Augustine of Hippo, Monica, and Thomas of Villanova. In his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel as pope, he chose to use a papal ferula, or ceremonial staff, made for Benedict XVI and seldom used by Francis. The mozzetta and ferula signaled to some a "return to normal" in the Holy See following the Francis papacy. During his Inauguration Mass in St Peter's Square on May 18, 2025, Leo XIV used the ferula of Pope John Paul II.

Within the context of church politics and theology, Prevost has been seen as a moderate or centrist, neither liberal nor conservative. In April 2025, the Italian newspaper la Repubblica stated that Prevost was seen as a "cosmopolitan and shy figure" who was "appreciated by conservatives and progressives" within the church. In line with the church's official positions, Prevost opposes abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage and the death penalty. Prevost expressed reservations about "sympathy for beliefs and practices that contradict the gospel" and did not fully endorse nor reject Fiducia supplicans, a declaration concerning blessings for people in a same-sex relationship. He stated that national bishops' conferences should "interpret and apply such directives in their local contexts, given cultural differences." In 2012, he criticized popular culture's sympathy for the "homosexual lifestyle" and same-sex families. In April 2016, Prevost opposed the inclusion of "gender ideology" in Peruvian primary school curricula, stating it promotes "genders that don't exist." When asked in 2023 by Catholic News Service whether his views from 2012 had changed, Prevost said that "many things have changed" and emphasized the church should be more open and welcoming though he cautioned that church doctrine has not changed. In May 2025, he said that it was up to governments to build peaceful societies "above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman."

During his time in Chiclayo, Prevost remained relatively politically neutral on national issues, however in the midst of the Peruvian protests (2022–2023), he stated: "The deaths during the protests cause me great sadness and pain [...] I asked to stay in Peru; I even made that request to the Holy Father. It wasn't the time to leave." He has also expressed support for the plight of Venezuelan refugees in Peru. With regards to climate change, Prevost has advocated for stronger church action, stating in a November 2024 seminar that "dominion over nature" should not be "tyrannical." On geopolitics, he denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine, describing it as "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power." and in one of his first major speeches as pope, Leo called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

Throughout his time as a bishop and as a cardinal, Prevost actively voted in US state and federal elections, being registered in Will County, Illinois. Illinois election law does not require voters to register by political party, thus Prevost has never officially declared any affiliation to a political party. Among the elections Prevost has voted in include the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, the Democratic primary for the 2010 Illinois gubernatorial election, the 2012 Republican presidential primary, the Republican primary for the 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election, the 2016 Republican presidential primary, and the 2024 United States general election.

On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Prevost's former account retweeted posts critical of US immigration policies under President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. He has also expressed support for COVID-19 vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic and sympathy for George Floyd and protesters. His X account which he used prior to his election as pope has since been deleted and he is currently using the official @Pontifex handle, inherited from Pope Francis.

In addition to his native language of English, Leo speaks Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, along with some German. He can also read Latin. During his time in Peru, Leo learned a little of one of the Quechuan languages. He has described himself as "quite the amateur tennis player". He regularly plays Wordle and Words with Friends with his brothers.

Leo is a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, and was in attendance at US Cellular Field (now known as Rate Field) in Chicago for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. His support for Chicago sports also extends to the National Football League's Chicago Bears; JD Vance presented him with a custom Bears jersey following his papal inauguration, which Leo remarked was a "good choice." He also shows support for Villanova University athletics, especially the Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team.

As a teenager, he enjoyed driving recreationally. Throughout his life, he has frequently preferred driving long distances for journeys where most people prefer to fly, such as from Philadelphia to Chicago, Brisbane to Sydney, and Chiclayo to Lima.

• Family of Pope Leo XIV
• Pope Leo XIV bibliography
• Cardinals created by Francis
• List of popes by country

• Vatican webpage about Pope Leo XIV