The Church rejoices as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected the 267th Bishop of Rome, taking the papal name Leo XIV.
The announcement was made from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica by Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti, who joyfully declared:
“Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!”
The newly elected Pope Leo XIV is the first member of the Augustinian order to become pope and only the second pontiff from the Americas, following Pope Francis of Argentina (North America). He brings to the papacy a profound legacy of missionary service, theological formation, and pastoral leadership.
A Journey from Chicago to the Chair of Peter
Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to a family of French, Italian, and Spanish heritage. After early formation with the Augustinian Fathers, he studied mathematics and philosophy at Villanova University and entered the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977. He made his solemn vows in 1981 and was ordained a priest in Rome on June 19, 1982, by Archbishop Jean Jadot.
He later earned a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and began a decade-long missionary service in Peru, working in formation, parish ministry, and the seminary. He also served as judicial vicarand taught Canon Law, Patristics, and Moral Theology in the Archdiocese of Trujillo.
Leader, Missionary, Shepherd
In 1999, he was elected Provincial Prior of the Augustinians in Chicago. Just three years later, the global order elected him Prior General, a position he held for two terms (2001–2013). After returning to the U.S., his pastoral mission continued until Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014, and then as its bishop in 2015.
His episcopal motto, “In Illo uno unum” (“In the One, we are One”), reflects his deep Augustinian spirituality and commitment to ecclesial communion.
Service in the Roman Curia
In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, placing him at the heart of episcopal discernment and global Church leadership. As head of this key dicastery, he played a vital role in major Vatican appointments and synodal reform processes. In 2024, he was created Cardinal and became a prominent presence at papal events and synodal assemblies.
Just this February, he was promoted to the Order of Bishops and entrusted with the Suburbicarian See of Albano.
A New Chapter Begins
Known for his quiet leadership, deep pastoral heart, and global missionary vision, Pope Leo XIV enters the papacy at a time of profound global and ecclesial change. Fluent in Spanish and shaped by Latin American realities, his election marks a continuity with the reforming vision of Pope Francis, while opening a new chapter in the Church’s service to unity, peace, and evangelization.
In March, during Pope Francis’s hospitalization, Cardinal Prevost led a Rosary for the Holy Father’s health in St. Peter’s Square—a gesture of fidelity and prayerful solidarity that now carries prophetic weight.
As Pope Leo XIV, he is expected to build on the foundation of synodality, missionary discipleship, and reform with humility, clarity, and courage.
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