Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV and becoming the first American in history to ascend to the papacy. The announcement came on May 8, following the fourth round of voting by the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel.

Born in Chicago in 1955, Pope Leo XIV brings a unique blend of North American and Latin American experience to the papacy. A member of the Order of Saint Augustine, he served as a missionary and later as bishop in Peru, and was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis the same year.

In choosing the name Leo XIV, he honors both Pope Leo I, known for theological clarity, and Pope Leo XIII, a champion of social justice and workers’ rights.

In his first Mass as pope, celebrated on May 9 in the Sistine Chapel, Leo XIV warned of a world increasingly consumed by technology, wealth, and power, calling instead for a return to Christ-centered values. “We are not here to preserve a museum,” he said. “We are here to light the path with the truth of the Gospel.”

Global reaction to his election has been largely positive, with leaders from the United States, Latin America, and Europe offering congratulations. Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to deliver his first public Angelus address from St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, May 11.