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Pope Leo XIV
elected May 8, 2025; first pope from the United States· Person· People
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, elected pope on May 8, 2025: the first pope from the United States and the first Augustinian friar.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Born in Chicago in 1955, Prevost studied mathematics at Villanova, joined the Augustinian order, and spent many years as a missionary, teacher and church official in Peru, becoming a Peruvian citizen. He led the worldwide Augustinians (2001–13), served as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru (2015–23), then headed the Vatican office that vets new bishops. A conclave of 133 cardinals elected him on its fourth ballot. His first words from the balcony were 'Peace be with you all.'
Why it matters
A North American shaped by Latin America, he bridges the Global North and South, and has framed his papacy around peace, the poor and Catholic social teaching in the age of AI.
Life, legacy and sources
Vatican announcements, conclave reporting, his homilies and speeches, including his May 10, 2025 address explaining his name. As a recent pope, his record is still being written.
Questions and debates
How far he will continue, adjust or slow Francis's reforms is still unfolding. Survivor groups' claims about his handling of abuse reports in Peru, which his former diocese rejects, remain disputed.
Connections (3)
▸Pope Leo XIV chose his name to echo Rerum Novarum: Catholic social teachingHistorical record
The connection
Two days after his election, Leo XIV told the cardinals he chose his name 'mainly because Pope Leo XIII' had addressed 'the social question' of the first industrial revolution in Rerum Novarum. Today, he said, the church offers its social teaching in response 'to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence.'
When and where
Address to the College of Cardinals, Vatican City, May 10, 2025.
Historical evidence
His own words, in the Vatican's official published text of the address.
Questions and debates
It is too early to judge whether his teaching on AI and work will shape this century the way Leo XIII's shaped the last.
▸Pope Francis was succeeded by Pope Leo XIVHistorical record
The connection
Francis promoted Prevost rapidly: bishop of Chiclayo, Peru (2015), head of the Vatican office that selects bishops (2023) and cardinal (2023). After Francis died on April 21, 2025, a conclave in which about four in five electors were Francis appointees chose Prevost on May 8. Leo has kept many of Francis's priorities, especially the poor.
When and where
Sistine Chapel, Vatican, May 7–8, 2025; a record 133 cardinal electors; elected on the fourth ballot.
Historical evidence
Vatican records of Prevost's appointments and the conclave result; Leo's first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi te (October 2025), on love for the poor, was begun by Francis.
Questions and debates
How closely Leo will follow Francis on contested issues, such as blessings for same-sex couples, the Latin Mass and church governance, is still unfolding.
▸Pope Leo XIV marked the 1,700th anniversary of Council of NicaeaHistorical record
The connection
In 2025, 1,700 years after the council that wrote the first form of the Nicene Creed, Leo XIV made his first foreign trip to Turkey. At İznik, ancient Nicaea, he and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew led an ecumenical prayer beside the ruins of an early basilica, professing the creed shared by Catholics, Orthodox and most Protestants.
When and where
İznik, Turkey, November 28, 2025; preceded by his apostolic letter on Nicaea, In unitate fidei (November 23, 2025).
Historical evidence
Vatican and Ecumenical Patriarchate records, news coverage and video of the service.
Questions and debates
Nicaea also set rules for dating Easter; whether East and West will agree on a common Easter date, as both leaders hope, remains open.