As the new pope's name was announced in Vatican City Thursday, it stunned many around the globe: Robert Prevost, a cardinal from Chicago and the first-ever American pope.
Prevost, who will now be known as Pope Leo, was born on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago, according to his biography from the Vatican.
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WATCH HEREHe had been a leading candidate except for his nationality. There had long been a taboo against a U.S. pope, given the geopolitical power already wielded by the United States in the secular sphere. But Pope Leo was seemingly eligible also because he’s a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.
Here's what to know about him:
Chicago ties
Leo was ordained a priest in 1982, having studied at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, receiving his masters degree in the city.
While he spent some of his early years in Peru, he returned to the U.S. in 1999 to serve in Chicago as Provincial and Prior General of the Augustinian Province.
Local
"In 1999 he was elected provincial prior of the 'Mother of Good Counsel' province, Chicago," the Vatican reported. "After two and a half years, the ordinary general Chapter elected him prior general, a ministry again entrusted to him in the 2007 ordinary general Chapter. In October 2013 he returned to his province (Chicago) to serve as teacher of the professed and provincial vicar, roles he held 3 November 2014."
He also worked as a teacher at Mendel Catholic High School in Chicago and Tolentine College in Olympia Fields, Illinois, according to the Mendel Catholic Prep Alumni Association.
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SIGN UP He added additional work in ministry teaching at St. Augustine Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and the Augustinian Novitiate at Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
He remained in the U.S. through 2014 before returning to Peru to become Bishop of Chiclayo. He remained in that position until Francis brought him to Rome in 2023 to assume the presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
His studies
Leo studied at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor of science in mathematics in 1977, the Catholic Theological Union (CTU) reported. He then joined the Augustinians that same year and went on to earn a degree at the CTU, where he graduated in 1982.
Leo earned a doctoral degree in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome and began a missionary service in Peru in 1985.
What is an Augustinian?
Pope Leo is a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order.
He was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, which was formed in the 13th century as a community of “mendicant” friars — dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization. There have been six previous Augustinian popes.
"Augustinians are members of the Order of Saint Augustine, an international Catholic religious community of men and women," Augustinian Vocations of North America.
The requirements and ethos of the order are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity.
The Order of St. Augustine has a presence in about 50 countries, according to its website. Its ethos includes a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others. A core value in their rule is to “live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God.”
From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo said that while he was an Augustinian priest, he was a Christian above all, and a bishop, “so we can all walk together.”
His connection to Pope Francis
Leo is the first American to ever be elected Pope, and will take over a church that changed dramatically during the tenure of Pope Francis, who died earlier this year.
Francis clearly had his eye on Leo and in many ways saw him as his heir apparent. He brought Leo to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church. As a result, Leo had a prominence going into the conclave that few other cardinals have.
In his first words as Pope Francis’ successor, uttered from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, Leo said, “Peace be with you,” and emphasized a message of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization. He wore the traditional red cape of the papacy — a cape that Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013.
What else to know
Young by historical standards, he is considered a leading global figure in the church, having served in key positions in both Peru and Rome. He was not an archbishop of a specific city prior to his elevation to the papacy, and didn't run a local church either, according to officials.
The new pope was selected after a Thursday vote by the College of Cardinals, putting to an end a two-day conclave that captivated the world.
It is expected the new Pope will lead a Mass in coming days to officially kick off his papacy.
