Corpus Christi Cathedral

Chicago native robert francis Cardinal Prevost elected pope, takes name Leo XIV

A native of Chicago and Augustinian missionary who worked for years in Peru, the new Pope Leo XIV had been working at the Vatican as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under the late Pope Francis.

Read more: https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/chicago-native-cardinal-prevost-elected-pope-takes-name-leo-xiv

Watch: Pope Leo XIV's first speech

Watch: Bishop Mulvey reflects on the election of Pope Leo XIV

Read: May we work for justice and peace in the world— Bishop Mulvey's official statement ​on the election of Pope Leo XIV

• Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost was elected as the 267th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on May 8, 2025, the second day of the 2025 Conclave.
• The new Holy Father chose Leo XIV as his papal name.
• Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, he is the first North American pope and the first American and Peruvian pope.
• He is the seventh Augustinian Pope; the first since 1447.
• He served in Peru in 1985–1986, and from 1988–1998 before returning to the United States.
• As an Augustinian, he served as general of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013.
• He served as Bishop of Chiclayo [Peru] from 2015–2023.
• In 2023, he was created Cardinal by Pope Francis, and appointed as Prefect for the Dicastery for Bishops, and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.