MANILA, Philippines — Who is Robert Francis Prevost, the 267th Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church?
Elected on Friday (Manila time), 69-year-old Prevost (Born on September 14, 1955) was announced as the new pope by the college of cardinals about an hour after the white smoke signal came out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
READ:
New pope is Robert Francis Prevost of the United States
A native of Chigaco and a citizen of Peru, Prevost is the first pope to have hailed from the USA.
According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Prevost was ordained priest of Order of St. Augustine on June 18, 1982.
He then did missionary work in Chulucanas, Peru from 1985 to 1986; and held various roles in Trujillo, Peru from 1988 to 1998.
Prior General
He then served as the Provincial of the Augustinian Province in Chicago from 1999 to 2001, before he became the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine for two terms from 2001 to 2013.
Prevost then became the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru from 2014 to 2015, and then Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru from 2015 to 2023.
He was then elected President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops from 2023 to 2025.
Now elected pope, Prevost picked Leo XIV as his papal name.
According to the CBCP, American Jesuit Thomas Rees noted that Prevost “got strong support from cardinals from Latin America where he worked for 20 years.”
“He is multilingual and has a reputation as a listener. He will carry forward the legacy of Pope Francis. The Holy Spirit continues to surprise us,” as quoted by the CBCP.
“By picking the name Leo XIV, he shows he is committed to the social teaching of the church, which was made foundational by his predecessor Leo XIII,” he added.
The CBCP noted Prevost’s elevation to being the pope was “unprecedented,” as it was widely thought that having an American pontiff “placed too much power in the hands of the world’s biggest superpower.”