Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost – Everything To Know About The New Head Of The Catholic Church

As Catholics around the world welcome the successor of Pope Francis, everyone is a buzz regarding the first-ever American pope, Pope Robert Prevost.

He will serve as pope under the name Pope Leo XIV. Below are some details regarding his life and his works over the years.

Pope Leo XIV Makes History

It’s important to note that Prevost is not only making history as the first-ever pope hailing from the United States, but also the first pope from North America. He was born in Chicago and in 1977, joined the Order of St. Augustine.

In 1981, he took solemn vows and was ordained as a priest in 1982. He spent an early portion of his career working for Augustinians in Illinois, but Prevost served in Peru from 1985 to 1986, as well as from 1988 to 1998.

During his career tenure, he was a parish pastor, seminary teacher, and diocesan official. In 2023, Prevost became a cardinal.

People Gathered Worldwide

Pope Leo XIV hit a new milestone this past Thursday, May 8, when he was elected by cardinals as the white smoke came from the chimney, and the St. Peter’s Basilica bells joyously rang.

A crowd of about 20,000 people gathered to find out who the 267th pope would be, coming from all around the world.

Another interesting tidbit about the Catholic Church’s newest pope is that he speaks multiple languages, including English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Latin, German, and Italian.

He’s also known for leading the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops, which is an office that gives the Pontiff advice on appointing bishops worldwide.

According to the National Catholic Reporter, there has been past interest in Prevost becoming the next pope thanks to his international background, and some cardinals had their eye on Prevost because of his global experience.

Despite being American, he’s only spent about 1/3 of his life in the U.S., spending a lot of time in Latin America and Europe.

While some of the cardinals were concerned about electing an “American” as the next pope, many also felt that his ‘determination’ and ‘clarity’ would put him over.

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