The world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics have elected Robert Francis Prevost as their new leader, taking the papal name Leo XIV. Despite holding a high-ranking position in the Vatican and a long missionary career, he is not well known. In this blog, I will briefly discuss his life.
Who is the new pope?
Robert Francis Prevost, 69, was born in Chicago. He is the first United States of America Pope. Although he was born in the USA, his life has transcended borders. He worked as a missionary in Peru for many years before being elected president of the Augustinians for two consecutive terms.
Why Pope Leo? The meaning behind his name
Pope Leo XIV chose his papal name in honor of his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII (papacy from 1878 to 1903). He was well known for his social teachings, intellectual achievements, and efforts to unite the Church and the contemporary world.
The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, chose this name to express his intention to promote pious discourse, defend the dignity of the weak and poor, and revitalize the Church’s pastoral and intellectual vocations in harmony with the Church’s rich tradition.
First Augustinian Pope
Mildred Martinez, of Spanish descent, and Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, welcomed the next bishop of Rome into the world on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. John Joseph and Louis Martin are his two brothers.
He spent his early and teenage years with his family. He later continued his education at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. Before that, he attended the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers, where he earned a degree in mathematics and philosophy in 1977.
His superiors sent him to Rome at the age of 27 to attend the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) to study canon law.
In Rome, on June 19, 1982, he was ordained a priest at the Augustinian College of Saint Monica by Archbishop Jean Jadot. After earning his licentiate in 1984, Prévost was assigned the following year to work on his doctoral thesis (1985–1986) at the Augustinian mission in Chulucanas, Piura, Peru.
Mission in Peru
After joining the mission in Trujillo, Peru, he became director of the joint formation initiative for Augustinian candidates in the Vicariates of Chulucanas, Iquitos, and Apurimac. He was the community’s predecessor from 1988 to 1992, its formation director from 1988 to 1998, and instructor for its ordained members from 1992 to 1998.
He also served as judicial vicar in the Archdiocese of Trujillo from 1989 to 1998 and as professor of canon law, patristics, and moral theology at the Major Seminary “San Carlos y San Marcelo” for eleven years. He was also given pastoral responsibility for Our Lady Mother of the Church, later renamed the Parish of Saint Rita (1988–1999) in a low-income metropolitan suburb. From 1992 to 1999, he served as the parish administrator of Our Lady of Monserrate.
Two and a half years after being elected Provincial Prior of the Augustinian Province of the “Mother of Good Counsel” in Chicago in 1999, the General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine confirmed him as Prior General for a second term in 2007.
In October 2013, he returned to his Augustinian province in Chicago and served as Director of Formation, First Councilor, and Provincial Vicar at the Convent of St. Augustine. On November 3, 2014, Pope Francis named him Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, elevating him to the episcopal rank of Titular Bishop of Sufer.
Created Cardinal in 2023
On September 30, 2023, Pope Francis named him a cardinal in the consistory and ordained him to the diaconate of Saint Monica. On January 28, 2024, he formally assumed the title of his namesake church.
As head of the dicastery, he participated in the first and second sessions of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, held in Rome from October 4 to 29, 2023, and October 2 to 27, 2024, as well as in the recent apostolic journey of the Pope.
What Makes Pope Leo XIV Unique?
Pope Leo XIV makes history by becoming the first North American-born Pope and the first naturalized Peruvian to be elected to the papacy. For the Augustinian community in the United States, Peru, and around the world, his election is particularly significant because he is the first member of the Order of Saint Augustine to ascend to the Chair of Saint Peter in centuries.
Official Pope’s Leo XIV portrait can be downloaded here.
