• Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected the first Pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church on May 8.

• Prevost, a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order, took the name Leo XIV.

• He appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after white smoke billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signifying the 133 cardinal electors had chosen him as a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

• After a conclave that lasted only three sessions, the cardinals elected Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Pope.

• The papal inauguration usually takes place less than a week after the election with a mass celebrated before political and religious leaders from around the world.

The first Augustinian Pope

• Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois.

• He has spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru and has dual Peruvian nationality. 

• Prevost was twice elected Prior General, or top leader, of the Augustinian religious order, founded in the 13th century by St. Augustine. The order operates in 50 countries and has a special focus on a life of community and equality among its members.

• A religious order is a community of Catholics — which can include priests, nuns, monks and even lay people —  dedicated to a particular type of mission and spirituality. Unlike diocesan priests, who work within a particular territory, religious-order priests might be assigned anywhere in the world. At the same time, they might handle tasks similar to diocesan priests, such as being pastor of a parish.

• He served as a bishop in Chiclayo, in northwestern Peru, from 2015 to 2023.

• Prevost became a cardinal in 2023. 

• Pope Francis brought him 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.

• In early 2025, Pope Francis appointed Prevost to the most senior rank of cardinals.

• The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica and churches across Rome rang out and crowds rushed towards the square to watch the balcony of the basilica, which has been fitted out with red curtains for the first address to the world by the new Pope, who was introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name.

• The last Pope to take the name Leo led the Church from 1878-1903. Leo XIII was known for his devoted focus to social justice issues, and is often credited with laying the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching.

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