Pope Leo XIV
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected the 267th Bishop of Rome and took the name Leo XIV. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on Sept 14, 1955. He grew up in a Catholic family. His father served as a catechist, and priests regularly visited his childhood home. He entered the Augustinian Order in 1977 and was ordained a priest in 1982. His advanced studies were done in Rome in Canon Law. He spent much time in Peru as a priest working in a parish, seminary, and for the Augustinian Order. He also served in different capacities within the Augustinian Order in the United States. In 2014, he returned to Peru and was named Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2015. He addressed the people of Chiclayo directly in Spanish during his address in St. Peter’s after the election. In 2023, Pope Francis named him Prefect for the Dicastery of Bishops. Pope Leo XIV was elected on May 8, 2025. He was elected during the second day of the papal conclave. He is the 267th head of the Catholic Church and the Sovereign of the Vatican City State.
