Question
Who is Pope Leo XIV?
Answer
Pope Leo XIV is the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, elected on 8 May 2025. Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, he is the first US-born pope, an Augustinian friar who spent decades in Peru as a missionary and Bishop of Chiclayo, and previously led the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops.
Last updated 2026-08-26
In more detail
Prevost was ordained a priest in 1982 as a member of the Order of Saint Augustine. Sent to Peru in 1985, he worked in mission, seminary formation and canon law, and led the Augustinians worldwide as Prior General from 2001 to 2013.
Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Chiclayo in 2015, brought him to Rome in 2023 as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, and made him a cardinal that September. The conclave elected him pope on the fourth ballot on 8 May 2025, and he took the name Leo XIV.
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Sources
- Official sourceVatican News — Biography of Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV · Official biography · May 8, 2025
- Primary sourceVatican.va (Holy See) — Leo XIV — official texts, homilies, speeches and documents · Primary / official full texts
- ArchiveWikipedia — Pope Leo XIV — Wikipedia · Background reference, continuously updated
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