Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois in the United States.
He was born to Louis and Mildred Prevost, who are of French, Italian, and Spanish descent.
Prevost also holds a Peruvian passport and has been a Peruvian citizen since 2015.
Prevost attended the Augustinian minor seminary in 1973 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977.
He proceeded to gain a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, United States and both a Licentiate and Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
Prevost entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977, taking his first vows in 1978 and solemn vows in 1981. He was ordained a priest in Rome on June 19, 1982.
In 1999, Prevost was elected provincial of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, and from 2001 to 2013, he served as prior general of the worldwide Augustinian order for two six-year terms.
‘Peace be with you’: Pope Leo makes first public address
In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, and he was consecrated as titular bishop of Sufar on December 12, 2014.
He became bishop of Chiclayo in 2015, serving until 2023, and also acted as apostolic administrator of Callao (2020–2021).
Prevost was elevated to cardinal on September 30, 2023, and in early 2025, Francis promoted him to the senior rank of cardinal-bishops.
Pope Francis brought Robert Prevost to the Vatican in 2023 as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church.
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, he ascended to become Pope Leo XIV — the first American pontiff.
He presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms late Pope Francis made, when he added three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pope.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, is viewed as a centrist, who holds both liberal and conservative positions, as per reports.
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