Today, Thursday, May 8, 2025, the College of Cardinals have selected Robert Cardinal Prevost as the next Pope! He has taken the regnal name of Leo XIV. Thanks be to God!
A native of Chicago, the 69-year-old is the first pope from the United States, though he spent much of his time as a missionary in Peru.
Pope Leo XIV appeared on the loggia overlooking St. Peterâs Square wearing the traditional red mozetta. In a break with custom, he initially read his address from a piece of paper but later spoke extemporaneously.
When Robert Francis Prevost was growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, a steady stream of priests passed through his family home. They were drawn by the irresistible dishes prepared by his mother, Mildred MartĂnez, who was of Spanish descent.
[...]
Proximity to clergy wasnât the only reason he considered the priesthood in his youth. There was also the example of his father, Louis Marius Prevost, who had French and Italian roots, and served as a catechist. The youngster also had a positive experience of parish life, serving as an altar boy and attending the parish school. Once he was convinced of his call to the priesthood, he faced another discernment challenge: should he become a diocesan priest or join a religious order? After wrestling with the decision, he opted to join an Augustinian minor seminary, appreciating the orderâs stress on unity, communion, and the teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo. He was sent to study canon law at the Angelicum in Rome, receiving priestly ordination in the city in 1982 at the hands of Archbishop Jean Jadot, pro-president of the Vaticanâs Secretariat for Non-Christians (now the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.)
After completing his studies, he was invited to work in the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas, in northwestern Peru, which had a strong connection with the U.S. Augustinians. He traveled all over the country, taking in the jungle, the mountains, and the coast, sealing a love of the nation that would culminate in him becoming a naturalized citizen. In the space of a decade, Prevost served as a community prior, director of formation, teacher of the professed, judicial vicar, and professor.
In 1999, he was elected provincial prior of the Midwest Augustinians. [...] In 2001, Prevost was elected prior general of the worldwide Augustinian order, a post he held for two six-year terms. In 2014, Pope Francis named him apostolic administrator of the Chiclayo diocese, bringing him back to northwestern Peru. A year later, Prevost became bishop of the diocese that covers one of Peruâs biggest cities, as well as shantytowns and rural areas.
[...] Prevost was appointed a member of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2020. Later, Pope Francis told him he was thinking of selecting him as the departmentâs head, making him responsible for the selection of the worldâs Latin Rite bishops (except mission territories, covered by the Dicastery for Evangelization.)
Let us pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the blessings of God on our new Bishop of Rome. In the spirit of charity and fraternal unity, please refrain from immediate ideological attacks against the new Roman Pontiff. Pray for him.
This thread will serve as the one megathread on this topic, and all discussion of the new Holy Father will be redirected here. Please remember to keep all our rules in mind in your discussions, keeping charity top of mind. Please report all rule violations to the moderators.
