The cardinal electors in conclave at the Vatican have made Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost the 267th supreme pontiff. Prevost, who is 69 years old, took the name Leo XIV. He is the first pope from the United States, the second pope from the Americas, and the first pope of the Augustinian order.
The successful election of the new pope was announced around 6:10 p.m. CEST (12:10 p.m. EDT) with white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney and bells ringing in Saint Peter’s Square. The holy father was introduced to the faithful about an hour later with the traditional announcement:
Annuntio vobis gaudium: HABEMUS PAPAM! Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum Robertum Franciscum Sanctae Romane Ecclesiae Cardinalem Prevost qui sibi nomen imposuit Leonem XIV.
I announce to you a great joy: WE HAVE A POPE! The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord Robert Francis Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Prevost who has taken the name Leo XIV.
The Catholic Church entered a sede vacante (vacant seat) period with the death of Pope Francis, the 266th supreme pontiff, on April 21. A conclave was held beginning yesterday, May 7, to elect the next successor of Saint Peter. Members of the College of Cardinals who were under the age of 80 at the time of Pope Francis’s death were eligible to serve as electors. There were 135 eligible cardinals; two did not attend for health reasons. A two-thirds supermajority vote is required to elect a pope.
Leo XIV was elected on the fourth ballot of the conclave, which was the first ballot of today’s afternoon session. The new pope then vested in the “room of tears” before greeting the faithful from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica saying, “Peace be with you!” and offering his first blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city [of Rome] and the world”).
Leo XIV was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 1955. He entered the novitiate of the Augustinian order in 1977, made his vows in 1981, and was ordained a priest in 1982. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Villanova University, a Masters of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union, and a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas.
In 1985, soon after his ordination, he joined the Augustinian mission in Peru for two years as chancellor of the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas. He returned to the United States in 1987 to serve as vocations pastor and missions director for the Augustinian Province of Chicago, then moved again to Peru in 1988 to serve for a decade as head of the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo, teacher of canon law at the diocesan seminary, and in numerous other capacities for the local diocese as needed.
Leo XIV returned again to the United States in 1999 where he was named the provincial prior for the Augustinian province in Chicago. Less than three years later he was elected prior general of the entire Augustinian order, a role he held until 2013. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Leo XIV the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, then elevated him to Bishop of Chiclayo in 2015; he adopted the episcopal motto, “In illo uno unum,” which means, “In the one Christ, we are one.”
From 2018 to 2023 he additionally served as the vice-president and member of the permanent council of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference, and from 2020 to 2021 he was the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Callao, Peru.
In January 2023, Pope Francis appointed Leo XIV the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. He served in that role until Francis’s death earlier this year. The dicastery has responsibility for the selection of most new bishops, subject to papal approval; it is generally considered one of the more powerful and influential offices in the Roman curia. Leo XIV has maintained a low public profile since becoming prefect, but was believed to be a trusted advisor to Pope Francis, who elevated him to cardinal in September 2023.
The office of pope was established by Jesus of Nazareth (c.f., Matthew 16) and was first held by Saint Peter, who served from about A.D. 30 to 68. The scriptures and traditions of the church have always acknowledged Peter and his successor Bishops of Rome as first among the bishops and head of the church on earth while it awaits the return of Christ, although the exact nature of that headship has evolved over time. The full formal title of the office is: His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, Servant of the servants of God.
Links
- “Habemus Papam” Information (Vatican, Italian language)
- English translation of “Urbi et Orbi” Address (Vatican News)
- Biography of Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV (Vatican News)
- Profile of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A. (College of Cardinals Report, unofficial)