The College of Cardinals have elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, Illinois, to be the Catholic Church’s first American pope. The cardinals reached their decision on the second day of deliberations, and after several rounds of voting.
Prevost, 69, has taken the name Pope Leo XIV.
In remarks from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV called on the Catholic church to be a “synodal” church, “one which goes forward and which always seeks peace and to be close to those who suffer.”
Peace be with you! Dearest brothers and sisters, this was the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave His life for the flock of God. I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are; and all the peoples, and all the earth: Peace be with you.
This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarming and humble and preserving peace. It comes from God. God, who loves all of us, without any limits or conditions. Let us keep in our ears the weak but always brave voice of Pope Francis, who blessed Rome – the Pope who blessed Rome and the world that day on the morning of Easter.
Allow me to continue that same blessing. God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs His light. Humanity needs Him like a bridge to reach God and His love. You help us to build bridges with dialogue and encounter so we can all be one people always in peace.
Pope Leo XIV thanked his fellow cardinals for choosing him to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
“I should also like to thank all my cardinal brethren who have chosen me to be the successor of Peter and to walk with you as a united church. Always seeking peace and justice. Seeking to work with men and women who are faithful to Jesus Christ without fear to proclaim the gospel to be missionaries,” he said.
Just minutes after the Vatican’s announcement, President Donald Trump said in a statement that the election of Pope Leo XIV was a “great honor for our country.”
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
The new pope’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977, a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and both a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. His doctoral thesis was on “The role of the local prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.”
The Chicago-born prelate entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) in 1977 and made his solemn vows in 1981.
He reportedly spent many years as a missionary in Peru before being elected head of the Augustinians for two consecutive terms.
The 267th pope is considered a moderate with views close to Pope Francis on several key issues.
On key topics, Cardinal Prevost says little but some of his positions are known. He is reportedly very close to Francis’ vision regarding the environment, outreach to the poor and migrants, and meeting people where they are. He said last year “the bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom.”
He supported Pope Francis’ change in pastoral practice to allow divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion. Prevost appears somewhat less favorable to currying favor with the LGBTQ lobby than Francis, but he showed mild support for Fiducia Supplicans.
During the Synod on Synodality in October 2023, then-Cardinal Prevost came out against the ordaining Female Deacons, stating that “clericalizing women” would not solve the Church’s problems and could even create new ones.
The new pope is said to be “a strong supporter of synodality,” Pope Francis’ emphasis on making the Catholic Church “more inclusive and participatory.”
As a prelate, Prevost habitually expressed strong pro-life views.
“We cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest—whether the child in the womb or the elderly in their frailty—for they are both gifts from God,” he commented in 2019.
According to the Catholic News Channel EWTN, Pope Leo XIV may choose the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima—May 13—as the day for his inauguration, signaling a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“Our blessed mother Mary always wants to walk with us, be close to us, she always wants to help us with her intercession and her love,” he said in his remarks Thursday. “So let us pray together for this mission, and for all of the Church, and for peace in the world. We ask for this special grace from Mary, our Mother,” he added before leading the Catholics gathered in St. Peter’s Square and watching on television in a “Hail Mary.”