Meet Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955. He is the first pope from the United States. He was elected pope on May 8, 2025.

Born in Chicago, Robert Francis Prevost attended St. Mary of the Assumption Parish and School. He then went to St. Augustine Seminary High School, a Michigan boarding school. He graduated with a degree in mathematics from Villanova University in 1977, the same year in which he joined the Order of Saint Augustine, or the Augustinians, as a novice. After studying at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago, he studied canon law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. In 1982, he was ordained a priest in Rome.

Fr. Prevost ministered in Peru for more than decade before returning to Chicago, where he was elected Provincial Prior in 1998, and then the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine in 2001. He served two terms as leader of the Augustinians before he returned to Peru when Pope Francis named him to be Bishop of Chiclayo. On January 30, 2023, Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome. He was named a cardinal in 2024 and was elected pope by the College of Cardinals on the fourth ballot during the second day of the 2025 conclave. He chose the name Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV is the first Augustinian pope, the first pope from North America, the first to be born in the United States, and the first to be a citizen of the United States and Peru. He is the second pope to come from the western hemisphere. During his first Mass as pope, he described the Catholic Church as a “beacon that illuminates the dark nights of this world.”

Prayers

Prayer for the Newly Elected Pope

Prayer Service for the Newly Elected Pope Leo XIV

Activities

Find Your Pope Name

The papal name chosen is thought to be an indicator of what kind of papal reign the new pontiff hopes to emulate. Pope Benedict XVI was thought to have chosen Benedict after Benedict XV, who had a relatively short reign at only seven and a half years, and St. Benedict of Nursia, who founded and inspired the Benedictine monastic tradition in the Western Church. Pope Francis chose his name after St. Francis of Assisi, who is known for his care for the poor.

Think about who you emulate and are inspired by. It can be someone you know personally, such as a family member or friend, or a person who is known for how he or she lived his or her life, such as Saint Teresa of Calcutta or Saint Ignatius of Loyola. On a separate sheet of paper, write your chosen name and explain what it means to you

Pray for the Pope, Pray for the World

When the pope has an official papal decree or blessing, it is common for him to say “Urbi et Orbi” which means “to the city and for the world.” The pope is also the Bishop of Rome, but when he says Urbi et Orbi, he is speaking not just to the city of Rome but to the Catholics around the world. Write a brief prayer of thanks for the pope, asking God to watch over him as he leads the Catholics around the world. These prayers can remain private or be shared with the group, if you choose.