Following the demise of Pope Francis on April 21 this year, cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the pope of the Roman Catholic church on Thursday, May 8. Taking the papal name Leo XIV, he said, “Peace be with you,” as his first words when he addressed the crowd of faithfuls at St Peter's Square in the Vatican. As the Catholic community rejoices the election of their new spiritual leader, here are five facts about Pope Leo XIV and his spiritual journey (Text and Photos Courtesy: AP/AFP)
Updated On: 2025-05-09 05:40 PM IST
Compiled by : Raaina Jain
Robert Francis Prevost is the first person from the United States to be elected as a pope in the history of the Roman Catholic church
Born on September 14 in 1955, in Chicago, he graduated from Philadelphia's Villanova University, an Augustinian institution, with a degree in mathematics. He received a master’s degree in divinity from Chicago's Catholic Theological Union in 1982, and a doctorate decree in canon law in Rome
The Chicago native lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop, eventually also becoming a Peruvian citizen in 2015
He was twice elected Prior General, or top leader, of the Augustinians, the 13th century religious order founded by St. Augustine
Pope Francis brought Prevost to the Vatican in 2023 as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church
