The new pope was revealed this afternoon. Robert Prevost of Chicago is the first American pontiff in history. He is Pope Leo XIV.

He served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since 2023. He previously served as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023, and was prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013. In 2015 Cardinal Prevost became a naturalized citizen of Peru as confirmed by Peru’s National Civil Registry. On May 8, 2025, he was elected Pope.

Born in Chicago, Prevost spent the early part of his career there working for the Augustinians. He served in Peru from 1985 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1998 as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher and administrator. He was made a cardinal in 2023.

In 2023, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a prominent role that has elevated his profile as a potential papal candidate. Since Francis’s death, Prevost had been called papabile, a leading candidate for election as pope during the 2025 papal conclave. He has been announced as the new pope, choosing the papal name Leo XIIV.

White smoke appeared from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, signalling that the 133 Roman Catholic cardinals meeting in a secret conclave had elected a new pope.

The white smoke signified a candidate received two-thirds majority vote to be elected pope, which occurred on the fourth ballot, following three failed ballets. With the decision, cardinals elected the 267th pope to lead the Catholic Church on the second day of their conclave.

The crowd in St. Peter’s Square rejoiced after the white smoke rose into the sky.

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, at the age of 88.

Robert Prevost was born in Chicago on September 14, 1955. He completed his secondary studies at the minor seminary of the Order of St. Augustine in 1973. Prevost earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics at Villanova University in 1977.

Deciding to become a priest, Prevost joined the Order of St. Augustine in September 1977. He took his first vows to the order in September 1978 and his solemn vows in August 1981. The following year, he was awarded a Master of Divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Archbishop Jean Jadot for the Augustinians in Rome on June 19, 1982. He earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1984 and a Doctor of Canon Law degree in 1987 from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.