Biography of Pope Leo XIV
Robert Francis Prevost has been known as the new Pope Leo XIV since May 8, 2025, leading the Catholic Church after Pope Francis passed away. Leo XIV became the first American pontiff in history.
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people.com
Childhood and Family
The future Pope was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, was half French and half Italian and held an administrative position at a school, while his mother, Spanish Mildred Martinez, was a librarian. However, the new head of the Catholic Church also has African and Caribbean ancestry.Besides Robert, the family had two other boys, Louis and John.
Robert's childhood, or Rob as he was called back then, took place in the village of Dolton, south of Chicago. He grew up as an ordinary boy, went to school, and attended church. Like in any other family, he occasionally got into scuffles with his brothers. Louis, the older brother, recalled once pushing little Rob down the stairs.
Even as a child, Robert loved playing priest, and his family teased him about becoming a Pope in the future. The joke turned out to be prophetic.
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people.com
Education
After studying at a minor seminary of the Augustinian Order and graduating in 1973, Robert enrolled in a private university in a northwestern suburb of Philadelphia and became a Bachelor of Mathematics four years later.Later, he earned a Master's degree in Theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, followed by a Doctorate at the Pontifical University in Rome.
Catholic Church
On September 1, 1977, Prevost entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine in St. Louis, in the Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Chicago. On September 2, 1978, he took his first vow. On August 29, 1981, he made his solemn vows.In 1982, Prevost became a priest of the Order of Saint Augustine. Three years later, he was on a mission with the Augustinians in Peru. Later, he led the seminary in the Peruvian city of Trujillo, teaching canon law.
Additionally, Prevost served as a judge in the church court while also being the head of a community in one of the city's outskirts. He spent ten years in Peru and obtained local citizenship.
In 1988, he led the Augustinian Province of Chicago. This period of his career was marked by a controversial case. The future Pope allowed Father James Ray, accused of child abuse, to live in the Augustinian monastery in Chicago, even though there was a nearby Catholic elementary school.
The school administration was not informed by the Order about Ray's presence in the monastery. The priest stayed there for two years and left when the church authorities' requirements for clergy accused like Ray became stricter.
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Later, he joined the Congregation for the Clergy and then the Congregation for Bishops. From 2013 to 2023, he was the bishop of the Peruvian province of Chiclayo.
In 2023, he was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, responsible for appointing the highest-ranking clergy in the Christian church. This greatly increased Prevost's influence in the church hierarchy. In the same year, he became a cardinal.
Personal Life
Pope Leo XIV is a big sports fan. He enjoys tennis, basketball, and also baseball. He also likes playing casual games: Wordle (where you have to guess a five-letter word in six tries) and Words with Friends (similar to Scrabble).Robert Prevost is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. He can also communicate in Russian and even speaks Quechua, a language spoken by a South American tribe.
Robert Prevost Now
On May 8, 2025, after a two-day conclave, 69-year-old Prevost was elected the new Pope, even though he was not initially considered one of the favorites.He became the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and chose the name Leo XIV. Many saw this as a nod to Leo XIII (who led the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903). The Pope who bore this name always stood for the poor and defended the working class.
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wikipedia.org
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The new Pope believes that a bishop's role is not to be an administrator but primarily a shepherd. Furthermore, he thinks that when choosing bishops, there should be greater consideration of the opinions of spiritual leaders and laypeople in such matters, without turning the election process into a democratic vote.Even before becoming Pope, he expressed his opposition to women becoming deacons, although he did not deny that they could make a significant contribution to the life of the Church.
At one time, Prevost was an opponent of promoting gender ideology in Peruvian schools.
Regarding the issue of homosexuality, he noted that people should not be excluded from the Church based on their orientation, just as they should not be excluded due to their profession, clothing preferences, or other reasons.
In his first Sunday sermon as Pope, Prevost declared the need to resolve international conflicts. He specifically noted the urgency of achieving peace in Ukraine, freeing all captives, and returning children to their families as soon as possible.
He intended to continue the policy of the previous Pope, Francis, towards democratizing the Church. His predecessor aimed to make the Catholic Church more open to laypeople and did not want its policies determined by bishops behind closed doors.