A short biography and facts about the new Roman Catholic Pontiff Pope Leo XIV

Thursday, May 8, 2025, marked the election of the worldwide Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the 267th Pontiff, was elected Pope and Archbishop of Rome and from now henceforth will be known as Pope Leo XIV.

Going into the Conclave that elected him, Cardinal Prevost was the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. The Dicastery deals with all matters concerning the appointment of Roman Catholic Bishops, Apostolic Administrators and, in general, the provision of the particular Churches, among other responsibilities.

The history of the names of the Successors of Peter

A longstanding tradition has seen many Popes change their names from their baptismal name, though it has not always been the case, especially among first centuries of Christianity.

Popes have often chosen the names of their immediate or distant predecessors out of respect, admiration, or recognition to mark continuity, but also different names to mark identification or cause.

The new Roman Pontiff becomes the first Augustinian Pope, and the second Roman Pontiff after Pope Francis from the American continent. However, unlike Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV is a native of the United States of America.

Augustinian Order in the Catholic Church

The Order of St. Augustine, or Augustinian Order, is an order within the church whose inspiration is fundamentally based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ and later of Aurelius Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo (354 - 430 A.D.).

The Order of Saint Augustine was instituted in the church in March 1244. The Order, from its very beginning, recognized Saint Augustine of Hippo as its father, teacher, and spiritual guide, not only because it received the rules that guide their spiritual lives and the name of the Order from him, but also because it received from him its doctrine and spirituality.

Early life and entry into the seminary

Pope Leo XIV, was born Robert Francis Prevost on 14th September 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, USA to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. Pope Leo XIV has two brothers, Louis Martín Prevost and John Joseph Prevost.

As a young man, Robert Francis first studied at the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers and then at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where he earned a Degree in Mathematics and graduated in 1977. He also studied Philosophy while at the same university.

On September 1 of 1977, the youthful Robert Francis entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.) in Saint Louis, in the Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel of Chicago, and made his first profession on 2nd September 1978.

On 29th August 1981, he made his solemn vows to the Augustinian Order. The future Pontiff received his theological education at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He was subsequently sent by his superiors to Rome to study Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. In Rome, he was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, at the age of 27 at the Augustinian College of Saint Monica.

A Canon Law Expert

Fr. Prevost obtained his licentiate in 1984 and the following year, while preparing his doctoral thesis, was sent to the Augustinian mission in Chulucanas, Piura, Peru (1985–1986). In 1987, he successfully defended his doctoral thesis and was appointed a vocation and mission director of the Augustinian Province in Olympia Fields, Illinois (USA).

Over the course of 11 years, he served as prior of the Augustinian community. At the same time, he was also entrusted with the pastoral care of the parish of Saint Rita (1988–1999), in a poor suburb of the city, and was parish administrator of Our Lady of Monserrat from 1992 to 1999.

Fr Robert Francis earned a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome. A Canon Law expert, his legal expertise prepared him for the work ahead in the Vatican before being elected Pope yesterday.

A missionary in Peru

In 1988, he joined the Augustinian mission in Trujillo, in Peru, as director of the joint formation project for Augustinian candidates from several vicariates.

On September 26, 2015, he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, in Peru by Pope Francis. In March 2018, he was elected second vice-president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, where he also served as a member of the Economic Council and president of the Commission for Culture and Education. His long stay in Peru and work within communities in Peru allowed him to be granted citizenship in Peru in 2015.

Pope Leo XIV is therefore a dual citizen of the United States and Peru.

Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops

On 30th January 2023, Pope Francis called Bishop Robert Francis to Rome as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, promoting him to the rank of Archbishop. 

Made Cardinal in 2024

Pope Francis made Archbishop Robert Francis a Cardinal in the Consistory of September 30 that year and assigned him the Diaconate of Saint Monica. He officially took possession of it on January 28, 2024. 

Pope Leo XIV is Fluent in English, Latin, Spanish and Italian.

The new pontiff used his first remarks to say he is a son of St. Augustine, and he quoted the saint’s famous phrase: “For you, I am a bishop, with you, after all, I am a Christian.” That reflects the idea that all the people in the church hierarchy – from leaders to everyday members – walk together.

He “remains a missionary at heart”

In an interview with Vatican News in Rome, he said, “I still consider myself a missionary. My vocation, like that of every Christian, is to be a missionary, to proclaim the Gospel wherever one is.” Pope Leo XIV also once said that his Peruvian mission interlude greatly shaped who he became as a person and a servant of the people of God.”

The Pontiff’s name is not just a chance or coincidental name; it immediately identifies him with the lineage of other Popes who have held the name Leo starting from Pope Leo the Great. His papal name reflects a commitment to the poor of the world. The last pope to take the name Leo, Pope Leo XIII, was a pope on the side of the poor and who stood up for workers. Leo XIII, who was pope from 1878 to 1903, had a strong emphasis on workers’ rights and Catholic social doctrine – so the choice of that name for the new pontiff makes a strong statement.

Last year, 2024, saw the current Pontiff visit Kenya to be with some of his Augustinian brothers and indeed open a chapel in Nairobi's Karen suburb.

Pope Leo XIV is a fan of tennis, even though he also admits to liking reading, walking and travelling to “new and diverse places.”