Pope Leo XIV: The First American Pontiff

On May 8, 2025, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago made history as the first American elected pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Born in 1955, Prevost has dual U.S.–Peruvian citizenship and spent decades serving as a missionary and bishop in Peru.

Fluent in multiple languages and deeply connected to Latin America, he is seen as a unifying figure in a diverse Church. A member of the Order of Saint Augustine, he’s known for humility and reform.