From the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, a senior cardinal proclaimed “Habemus Papam!” — Latin for “We have a pope!” On May 8, 2025, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, chose the name Leo, making him Pope Leo XIV. He was selected on the second day of the conclave by at least two-thirds of the 133 participating cardinals.
Pope Leo XIV was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, to parents of Ecuadorian, French, and Italian descent. He holds degrees from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas -Angelicum (Rome); Catholic Theological Union(Chicago); and Villanova University (Philadelphia). He speaks Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and English, and reads Latin and German. He was ordained a priest in 1982 in the Order of St. Augustine which affirms a contemplative dimension, the practical love of all others, and the constant pursuit of truth.
At the age of 30, as an Augustinian missionary, he moved to Peru where he lived for much of his adult life, serving there early on as a pastor, and as a seminary teacher in Trujillo in the northwestern part of Peru. Pope Francis named him bishop of Chiclayo in Peru in 2014 and then a cardinal in 2023. Between 1998 and 2013, he returned to and lived in the United States. During this period, he served as prior of his religious order. In 2023, Pope Francis named him president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a position which oversees the selection of new bishops worldwide and is located in the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV is an American in the most expansive sense; he is a citizen of Peru as well as of the United States. His significant Latin American background represents a continuity with Francis who came from Argentina. Pope Leo is known as a bridge-builder, as a good listener, as a pastor first, and, as such, he is perceived to be a pope who will likely favor continuity with the reforms initiated by Francis. He is said to share Francis’ views on migrants, the poor, and the environment.
Pope Leo XIV’s choice of the name “Leo” is telling, signaling his commitment to social justice. The previous Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) is often recognized as the father of Catholic social justice, largely based on his 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum. This encyclical, and others that followed, transformed Catholic teaching by launching a whole of body of work known as Catholic Social Teaching, the Church’s best-kept secret. Rerum Novarum focused on issues of social inequality and social justice, claiming that workers and laborers have rights as well as obligations. It was critical of both capitalism and communism. By taking the name “Leo,” our new pope locates himself within this tradition.
Long live the pope!
