The Holy Father

Robert Francis Prevost

Biography

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, is the 267th Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church since May 8, 2025. Raised in Dolton, Illinois, he was educated at Villanova University (B.S. in Mathematics, 1977), Catholic Theological Union in Chicago (M.Div., 1982), and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where he earned both a Licentiate (1984) and Doctorate in Canon Law (1987). He was ordained to the priesthood on June 19, 1982, as a member of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.).

Prevost spent the formative decades of his priestly life as a missionary in Peru, beginning in the 1980s, serving as parish pastor, seminary teacher, and diocesan official in Trujillo and Chulucanas. From 2001 to 2013 he served as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine—head of the entire global Augustinian order—based in Rome but traveling extensively to the order's provinces and missions worldwide. During this period he first met Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (the future Pope Francis) in Buenos Aires in 2004.

In 2014 Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator, and in 2015 Bishop, of Chiclayo, Peru—a diocese he served until 2023, becoming a naturalized Peruvian citizen. He became deeply embedded in Peruvian society, wearing rubber boots during floods, confronting political corruption, and advocating for Venezuelan refugees. In January 2023 Pope Francis called him to Rome as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He was elevated to Cardinal-Deacon on September 30, 2023.

On May 8, 2025, on the fourth ballot of the conclave following Pope Francis's death, Prevost was elected pope—the first from the United States, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second from the Americas. He took the name Leo XIV in homage to Pope Leo XIII, whose 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum established modern Catholic social teaching, signaling his own concern for workers' rights and the challenges of artificial intelligence. He moved into the Apostolic Palace, resumed traditional papal vestments, and was formally inaugurated on May 18, 2025 in St. Peter's Square before 250,000 faithful.

As pope, Leo XIV has consistently opposed armed conflict and nationalism, published warnings about AI technology (including the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, May 2026), made apostolic journeys to Turkey, Lebanon, Monaco, and Africa, and announced a planned visit to Spain in June 2026. He speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, reads Latin, and plays tennis at Castel Gandolfo. He is the first pope who writes his own emails and wears a smartwatch.

Official Vatican Biography

Key Dates

• 1955 — Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Illinois
• 1977 — B.S. Mathematics, Villanova University
• 1982 — Ordained priest (Order of Saint Augustine); M.Div., Catholic Theological Union
• 1985–1998 — Missionary in Peru; parish pastor, seminary teacher, diocesan official
• 1987 — J.C.D. (Doctorate in Canon Law), Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Rome
• 2001–2013 — Prior General, Order of Saint Augustine (two consecutive terms)
• 2015 — Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru; acquired Peruvian citizenship
• 2023 — Prefect, Dicastery for Bishops; Cardinal (created by Pope Francis, September 30)
• May 8, 2025 — Elected 267th Pope; took the name Leo XIV
• May 18, 2025 — Inaugural Mass, St. Peter's Square
• May 25, 2025 — Formal installation as Bishop of Rome at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran
• May 15, 2026 — Published Magnifica Humanitas, encyclical on artificial intelligence

Papal Audience Tickets

Free tickets for the weekly Wednesday General Audience (St. Peter's Square or Paul VI Hall) are available through the Prefecture of the Papal Household.

For US Catholics visiting Rome:
Bishops' Office for United States Visitors to the Vatican
Casa Santa Maria, Via dell'Umiltà, 30 — 00187 Rome, Italy

[email protected]

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