Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost; 14 September 1955 in Chicago, Illinois) is an Peruvian-American Catholic prelate who has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 8 May 2025. He succeeded late Pope Francis on 8 May 2025 (the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII). Choosing the papal name Leo XIV, he became the first Pope born in the United States, and the first from North America as a whole.
Life
Deciding to become a priest, Prevost joined the Order of St. Augustine in September 1977. He took his first vows to the order in September 1978 and his solemn vows in August 1981. The following year, he was awarded a Master of Divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Prevost since became a naturalized citizen of Peru in 2015. The new Pope with dual citizenship has been criticized for his rapid rise in the hierarchy of the Church. Pope Francis made him a Titular Bishop of Sufar in 2014, Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru in 2015, Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Monica in 2023, and Cardinal-Bishop of Albano on 6 February 2025. He is expected to continue to advocate the liberal and woke policies of his predecessor, which will inevitably lead to the further decline and possibly demise of the Church.
Other Vatican experts, however, call him a "man of the middle," who can mediate between the two camps within the Church if necessary. As a cardinal, he was a strong opponent of any discussion about a possible priestly ordination of women. On this point he strictly follows the teaching of the Church. The teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, as emphasized by Pope John Paul II in the apostolic letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis, is "that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgement is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful". Pope Benedict XVI continued on this path.
In one of his first speeches, Pope Leo XIV described the "African refugee crisis" in Lampedusa, Italy and called mass migration a “serious problem” that must be dealt with globally, while treating people with respect.
Quotes
- "It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope." – President Donald Trump, Truth Social, 8 May 2025
