The American cardinal Mgr Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope on May 8, 2025. Born in Chicago in 1955, he distinguished himself with an international career involving missions in Peru, leadership at the head of the Order of Saint Augustine, and high positions in the Vatican. A polyglot, canonist, and man of dialogue, he was appointed cardinal in 2023, before leading the Dicastery for Bishops and then being elected pope under the name Leo XIV.

Origin and Formation

Mgr Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, United States, into a family of French, Italian, and Spanish descent. After finishing his secondary studies at the minor seminary of the Order of Saint Augustine in 1973, he obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Villanova University near Philadelphia in 1977. He joined the Augustinians the same year, took his first vows in 1978, and his solemn profession in 1981. He received a license in theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Missionary Priest

Ordained a priest in Rome on June 19, 1982, he continued his studies in canon law at the Pontifical University Saint-Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), where he obtained a license in 1984 and a doctorate in 1987, with a thesis on the role of the local prior in the Order of Saint Augustine. Starting in 1985, he went on a mission to Peru, where he became chancellor of the territorial prelature of Chulucanas and vicar of the cathedral. After a short return to the United States, he returned to Peru in 1988, where he led the seminary of the Augustinians in Trujillo, taught canon law, patristics, and morals, and founded a parish in the poor outskirts of the city.

Responsibility in the Order of Saint Augustine

In 1999, he was elected provincial of the midwestern province of the Augustinians in Chicago. From 2001 to 2013, he was the prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine, holding the highest responsibility in his religious order.

Bishop, Vatican Prefect, and Cardinalate

In November 2014, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator, then bishop of the diocese of Chiclayo in Peru in 2015, in a challenging context for the local Church. He was then called to Rome to succeed Cardinal Ouellet as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, assuming his duties on April 12, 2023. This dicastery plays a central role in the selection of bishops worldwide. Mgr Prevost was made a cardinal by Pope Francis on September 30, 2023.

A Polyglot Pontiff and Close to the People

Fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, the new pope is known for his ability to dialogue with diverse cultures and adapt to local realities. His experience in Peru, particularly in crisis contexts, has shaped him as a pastor attentive to contemporary challenges and synodality, a theme dear to the previous pontificate. His motto, "In illo uno unum" ("in Him who is One, be united"), announces a papacy marked by unity and closeness to the peripheries.