Who is Robert F. Prevost? The newly elected Pope Leo XIV set to preside over the Catholic Church’s new generation

The first American pope in historical past has been named as Robert Francis Prevost in a landmark conclusion to the Conclave on Thursday. 

Prevost, 69, used to be born in Chicago, Illinois and started learning to grow to be a clergyman with the Catholic Church on the age of 18, sooner than happening to review arithmetic at Villanova University in Pennsylvania 4 years later. 

He spent a lot of his early lifestyles in South America and in addition holds Peruvian citizenship, and used to be stated to were noticed because the ‘least American of the Americans’ who had been within the working on the Conclave. 

A well-liked determine within the church who served as the pinnacle of Pope Francis’ vetting procedure for brand new bishop nominations, he has been significantly quiet about his perspectives on subjects similar to girls within the clergy and similar intercourse unions. 

He waded into gender ideology whilst serving as a bishop in Chiclayo, Peru in 2012, announcing that ‘the promotion of gender ideology is complicated, as it seeks to create genders that do not exist.’ 

Following his commencement in Pennsylvania, Prevost first went to Peru in 1985 as a missionary sooner than changing into the Roman Catholic Diocese for the Chulucanas area that very same 12 months. 

Prevost – often referred to as Father Bob – returned to paintings as a pastor in Chicago in 1987 for 365 days sooner than changing into the pinnacle of the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo, Peru – a task he stored for a decade. 

In 1998, he used to be elected as the pinnacle of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, making him one of the vital main spiritual figures within the United States. 

The guy he succeeded to steer the Vatican, Pope Francis, introduced Prevost to Italy in 2023 and passed him a distinguished put up heading into the Conclave, a procedure the place cardinals vote in secret to elect the brand new Pope that used to be watched in anticipation via tens of millions. 

The Chicago-born chief spent a lot of his early lifestyles in South America and in addition holds Peruvian citizenship, and used to be stated to were noticed because the ‘least American of the Americans’ who had been within the working on the Conclave 

Although he makes historical past as the primary American pope, the Chicago-born spiritual chief has now not been shy about his disapproval of President Donald Trump prior to now. 

He has taken so social media various instances to criticize the Trump management’s strikes on immigration again and again and expressed make stronger for revolutionary reasons. 

‘Do you now not see the struggling? Is your sense of right and wrong now not disturbed? How are you able to keep quiet?’ he stated in a single tweet. 

The new Pope additionally shared a number of articles that cope with JD Vance’s stance on immigration. One of them is titled: ‘JD Vance is mistaken: Jesus does not ask us to rank our love for others.’ 

Despite retaining a distinguished put up on the Vatican, Prevost used to be now not a number of the bookies’ favorites heading into the Conclave. 

This used to be essentially as a result of he’s an American, without a US citizen ever retaining the location of Pope sooner than in historical past. 

Prevost used to be born in Chicago, Illinois and started learning to grow to be a clergyman with the Catholic Church elderly 18, sooner than happening to review arithmetic at Villanova University in Pennsylvania 4 years later

Prevost noticed all over his time as Prevost of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru

Prevost at a mass for Pope Francis on April 30 following his predecessor’s dying remaining month 

The new pope noticed website hosting a party in Peru in July 2019 

Prevost could also be a Peruvian citizen, and he lived within the South American nation for a few years as a missionary after which archbishop. 

While operating underneath Francis, he presided over probably the most innovative reforms Francis made, when he added 3 girls to the balloting bloc that comes to a decision which bishop nominations to ahead to the Pope. 

In early 2025, Francis once more confirmed his esteem via appointing Prevost to essentially the most senior rank of cardinals, suggesting he would a minimum of be Francis’ selection in any long run conclave. 

The Rev. Fidel Purisaca Vigil, the communications director for Prevost’s outdated diocese in Chiclayo the place he up to now served, remembered Prevost as a heat and sort guy who ate breakfast together with his workforce on a daily basis. 

‘No subject what number of issues he has, he maintains just right humor and pleasure,’ he informed the Associated Press. 

James Martin, a Jesuit priest who could also be the editor-at-large of America Magazine, stated on X after Prevost used to be introduced as the brand new pope that he had in a similar fashion satisfied reminiscences of the clergyman. 

‘I do know Pope Leo XIV to be a type, open, humble, modest, decisive, hard-working, easy, devoted, and down-to-earth guy. An excellent selection. May God bless him,’ he stated in a put up.  

Prevost emerged victorious on the Conclave on Thursday, a procedure the place cardinals vote in secret to elect the brand new pope that used to be watched in anticipation via tens of millions 

The new pope, pictured in Peru in 2015, has been praised via those that knew him as a heat, sort guy dedicated to the clergy 

Prevost enters the papacy now not with out some scandal in his previous, and a few have already pointed to an incident over twenty years in the past when he become embroiled within the Catholic Church’s kid abuse controversy. 

In 2000, he got here underneath scrutiny for permitting Father James Ray, an Augustinian priest who have been suspended from the ministry 9 years sooner than because of allegations of sexual abuse of minors, to are living at his St John Stone Friary in Chicago. 

He would pass directly to take a public stance towards the best way that the Catholic Church treated the pedophilia scandal, telling La Republica in 2019 that it will have to transfer clear of its tradition of cover-ups. 

‘We reject the cover-up and secrecy, that does numerous injury, as a result of we need to lend a hand the individuals who have suffered from the dangerous act,’ he stated. 

He prompt sufferers to return ahead, including: ‘Many instances it used to be close up and do not communicate, you’ll’t ask for that. 

‘On behalf of the Church we wish to inform those that if there used to be any offense, in the event that they suffered or are sufferers of the dangerous movements of a clergyman to return and denounce it, to behave for the nice of the Church, of the individual and the neighborhood.’