Leo XIV makes history as first American Pope
The wait is over, the announcement was made last Thursday and the billions of Catholic faithfuls all the world over, are celebrating the ascension of Robert Prevost as the new Pope.
Pope Leo XIV, has become the first American Pontiff and the first member of the Augustinian Order to ascend to the papacy.
Last Thursday, as the white smoke emerged from the chinney excitement built up, and once the new Pope was confirmed, the news was received with joyous outbursts in his US homeland and in Peru, South America where he served as a missionary for 20 years.
It is a thing for the Americas, as his predecessor, Pope Francis, was the first Pope to come from the Americas and was celebrated as the first Latin American Pope and Prevost is also the first from the United States of America.
St Peter’s Basilica
In his first address as Pope from the balcony of the St Peter’s Basilica, Leo XIV called for peace and paid tribute to the late Pope Francis, urging the crowd to remember his predecessor’s legacy.
“Let us keep in our ears the weak voice of Pope Francis that blesses Rome.
The Pope, who blessed Rome, gave his blessing to the entire world that morning of Easter.
Allow me to follow up on that blessing. God loves us. God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail,” he said in Italian, while addressing the crowd gathered at the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV outlined his vision for the Catholic Church as one that “builds bridges” and engages in conversation.
“We have to seek together to be a missionary church.
A church that builds bridges and dialogue,” he said in his remarks on the balcony of the St Peter’s Basilica last Thursday.
The new Pope
The new Pope also called on people to “show our charity” to others “and be in dialogue with love,” according to an English translation.
Having spoken in Italian, Leo XIV switched to Spanish, one of several European languages he speaks to address his “beloved diocese” in Peru.
Cardinal Robert Prevost from Chicago becomes Pope Leo XIV and will become the 14th Papal Leo. John has historically been the most commonly chosen name.
Leo is now tied for the fourth most common name chosen by Popes, along with Clement.
Only John, Gregory and Benedict have proven more popular.
A century
But we haven’t had a Pope Leo in more than a century.
The last Pope Leo was Leo XIII, who was born in French-occupied Rome in 1810. He served as Pope from 1878 until his death in 1903, making his 25-year papacy the fourth longest in the church’s history.
Leo XIII is remembered as a Pope of Catholic social teaching. He wrote a famous open letter in 1891, reflecting on the technological changes brought by the Industrial Revolution and its impact on workers.
In choosing to revive the name, Leo XIV may be signalling the priorities for his papacy.
The first Pope Leo, who served in the fifth century, is known as “Leo the Great,” and is remembered for persuading Attila the Hun to halt his invasion and spare the Roman Empire from destruction.
The name Leo derives from the Latin for “lion,” suggesting strength and courage.
New Pope
Pope Leo XIV was elected as the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church on May 8, 2025.
The 69-year-old from Chicago is a leader with global experience.
He spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and served as a Bishop in Peru.
He most recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments.
He is expected to build on Pope Francis’ reforms.
Prevost was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1955 to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish heritage.
He pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, graduating in 1977 and went on to receive his diploma in theology from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.
That same year, he joined the Order of St Augustine, taking his first vows in 1978 and solemn vows in 1981.
He was later sent to Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University in Rome and was ordained as a priest in June 1982.
Later in his career, he taught canon law in the seminary in Trujillo, Peru.
Missionary work in Peru
In 1985, Prevost began his missionary work in Peru, serving in various capacities including parish pastor, seminary teacher and diocesan official.
He became a Peruvian citizen in 2015. His leadership in Peru was marked by efforts to bridge divides between progressive and conservative factions within the church.
Leadership roles
Prevost was elected Prior General of the Augustinian Order in 2001 and re-elected in 2007.
In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him as the Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru.
He was later brought to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, overseeing the selection of bishops worldwide.
The new Pope is known for his humility, multilingual abilities and commitment to social justice. He has emphasised inclusivity and outreach to marginalised communities, continuing the reformist path of Pope Francis.
While it is often said that cardinal electors would always shy away from choosing a Pope from the US due to America’s outsized global political influence, Prevost’s long experience in Peru may have mitigated those fears among the electors.
According to analysts, Pope Leo XIV is somebody that, even though he’s from the West, would be very attentive to the needs of a global church “You are talking about somebody who spent over half of his ecclesial career abroad as a missionary in Peru.”
To get elected
A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope. Catholics consider the Pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church.
It has the longest dynasty of historical methods of electing a particular head of state that remains in use to the present day.
The conclave was held from May 7 to 8, 2025, to elect a new Pope to succeed Pope Francis, who died on April 21 2025 and of the 135 eligible cardinal electors, 133 attended.
A two-thirds majority of 89 votes was needed to elect a Pope and on Thursday, May 8, on the fourth ballot, the conclave elected Robert Francis Prevost, who took the name Pope Leo XIV.
