New Pope Named Leo XIV: Robert Francis Prevost Gives First Blessing

US Cardinal Francis Prevost is the new Pope. He has chosen the name Leo, he is Leo XIV. This was announced by Cardinal Dominique Mamberti after the conclave on the balcony of St. Peter's Square.

US Cardinal Francis Prevost is the new Pope

The 69-year-old is the first American as Pope. Prevost addressed the faithful for the first time from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday evening after his election. "Peace be with you," said Leo XIV to the cheering crowd in St. Peter's Square and also thanked his predecessor Francis in his first words: "We still hear the weak but courageous voice of Francis, who blessed Rome. He gave his blessing to the whole world on Easter Sunday. God loves us, God loves you all. Evil will not prevail, we are all in the hands of God."

The Pontiff made an urgent appeal for peace to the faithful. He called on the faithful to ask the Mother of God for peace. "Help us build bridges of dialogue," said Leo XIV. Hundreds of thousands of people enthusiastically applauded and chanted the name "Leo, Leo!".

Prevost is the 267th head of the Catholic Church since Saint Peter. He most recently headed the Vatican department for bishops, essentially the personnel department of the global Catholic Church. From 2002 to 2013, he was the General Prior, the worldwide leader of the Augustinian Order. After that, he led the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, was the second vice president of the Peruvian Bishops' Conference before Pope Francis brought him to the Curia in the Vatican in 2023, as reported by Kathpress.

Augustinian from Chicago

Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, as the son of Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martínez, with French-Italian and Spanish roots. He attended the small seminary of the Augustinians until 1973, then studied mathematics at Villanova University, and joined the Augustinian Order immediately after graduation in 1977. After his first profession in 1978, he made his perpetual profession in 1981. He studied theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago (Master of Divinity) and was ordained a priest in 1982 in Rome by Archbishop Jean Jadot. At the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, he obtained a licentiate (1984) and a doctorate (1987) in canon law.

Subsequently, his order sent him as a missionary to Peru, whose citizenship he has held since 2015 alongside the American one. There, he initially served as chancellor of the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas from 1985-1986 and, after a brief stay in the USA, led the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo from 1988 to 1998. In addition to training young religious men, he was a lecturer in canon law, judicial vicar, member of the consultative council of the Archdiocese of Trujillo, and a parish pastor.

In 1998, Prevost was elected Provincial of the Augustinians in Chicago before being elected General Prior of the Order based in Rome in 2001. He held this office for two terms until 2013. After that, he was active again in the USA, including as a training director and provincial vicar in Chicago.

In 2014, Prevost was appointed by Pope Francis as titular bishop of Sufar and Apostolic Administrator of Chiclayo. He received episcopal consecration on December 12, 2014. A year later, he became the regular bishop of Chiclayo. From 2018 to 2023, he was the second vice president of the Peruvian Bishops' Conference. In 2020, he additionally took over as Apostolic Administrator the leadership of the Diocese of Callao. In the Peruvian Bishops' Conference, he was a member of the Permanent Council and president of the Commission for Education and Culture. He also worked on the governing body of Caritas Peru.

Curial Cardinal since 2020

In 2020, Prevost was appointed to the Congregation for Bishops, and in 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as the Prefect of the office now renamed "Dicastery for Bishops." In the same year, he was elevated to Cardinal (Titular Church: Santa Monica degli Agostiniani), and in 2025, he was promoted to Cardinal Bishop of Albano.

In the South American country, Pope Francis got to know him and brought him to the Roman Curia. Prevost also became President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Due to his leading positions and his closeness to Francis, he had long been considered papabile. Especially since his former office also handled the so-called Ad-limina visits of bishops from the world church, he was one of the most well-known faces in the College of Cardinals. Prevost speaks, in addition to his native English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and also has basic knowledge of German.

Prevost last in Austria in November 2024

The Cardinal was last in Austria this past November. In Vienna, Prevost celebrated the festive service for the 675th anniversary of the consecration of the Augustinian Church. His episcopal motto is taken from a sermon by Saint Augustine: "nos multi in illo uno unum" (Eng.: "In this one [Christ] we are many one").

According to many assessments, he is likely to continue the path of his predecessor towards a church with more participation of all believers. Francis extended this path shortly before his death by scheduling an "ecclesial general assembly" for October 2028.

Name Leo traces back to significant predecessors

The name Leo XIV traces back to a significant predecessor in the Catholic Church - Leo I, known as the Great. He was born in Tuscany in 440 and died on November 10, 461, in Rome. Leo I was the first to formulate being the representative of the Apostle Peter as Pope and Bishop of Rome. He claimed for himself a general responsibility and authority as the first of the apostles over the entire church.

Since then, there have been twelve other popes with the name Leo. Almost all came from what is now Italy. Leo III placed himself under the protection of Charlemagne and fled to him in Paderborn in 799 from opponents in Rome. In 800, he crowned Charlemagne as Emperor. The pontificate of Leo V ended with deadly violence. He was imprisoned and killed in 903 on the orders of Antipope Christopher, who took over his office.

Leo VIII, in turn, was elected Pope under the direction of Emperor Otto I. However, the deposed Pope John later returned to office, forcing his rival to flee to the Emperor. Not from Italy, but from what is now Eguisheim in Alsace, came Leo IX, who enhanced the involvement of the College of Cardinals in the leadership of the church. He reorganized the papal administration.

The last namesake, Leo XIII, served from 1878 to 1903. He was considered a reconciler - during his pontificate, conflicts with Switzerland and many Latin American countries were settled.

(APA/Red)

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